Our Lives as the Republic of the Philippines!
by Mitsuki Horenake
Summary: Meet Charice and Rizal Pacquiao, the twins of the Philippines, as they live with the other countries and learn things that we like to call...second hand knowledge.
1. How Canada is Secretly Taking Over

**Yaaaaay! Another crack fic for me! This time, however, I'm going to let this be OC-centric. No, I won't focus on Liara. It's the Philippines, set as twins! This is still being juggled in the air, so don't expect much out of this just yet.**

**/=+=/**

They sat quietly in the small house that they were in, not saying a single word and unable to start saying anything. It was a young man with long blond hair and a strange ahoge thing dangling from his head. He was fidgeting with his hoodie's collar, trying his best not to be scared of the girl staring right at him.

The girl's brown eyes complimented her lightly tanned skin and her light black hair. She had a red trenchcoat-like outfit on her, the sleeves folded up just past the elbows and covered with yellow pins [1]. Her long legs were swaying with red boots, her red skirt lightly swaying with the movement. One of her hands was holding her head, keeping her chin up on the table that they were sitting at, the other playing with the trims of the sun pin that was on the left side of her head.

Sitting just within viewing distance of the two of them was her brother. He had spiky jet black hair, covering most of the blue goggles on his head and the sun pin that was on the right of his face [2]. He had a high collar blue jacket that ended just above his stomach, kept together by a single pin with a coat of arms on it [3]. Underneath it was a simple white T-shirt, covering the buckle on his blue jeans and thick hiking boots. He couldn't help but observe that he had blue fingerless gloves on, playing with a simple red and blue yo-yo [4].

"Um…" The girl reached over to grab another BBQ stick. "Are you sure you're not America?"

"_I-I'm not America, Charice __[5]__! When are you going to believe me…?"_

"Come on, America! Admit it! You won't admit that you're you because you don't want to admit that you followed my advice and grew your hair out!" She stuck her finger out accusingly. "At least agree with me that you look better with your hair grown like that!"

"_C-Charice…I'm not America…"_

"Charice, he's telling the truth." The boy straightened himself from the chair, catching the yo-yo. "That isn't America."

"What makes you say that, Rizal [6]?" She pouted. "Look at him! He's clearly the United States! We've lived with him, Rizal! I thought you would know that!"

"Ate, ikalma mo sarili mo [7]. He is not America." He smiled, standing up. "The United States we know would not change his appearance based on observation alone. Besides, he thinks of himself as too much of a hero to change his looks."

She stared at the man in front of him and then back at her brother. This occurred for a few minutes _(generating a few nervous looks from the blond man)_ before sighing and plopping down in her seat.

"Well, I still have my doubts…but my brother is almost never wrong." She looked at the blond man. "OK then…if you're not the United States of America, who are you and what do you represent? And why in the world do you look so much like the guy?"

"_M-my human name is Matthew Williams…and I'm the Republic of Canada. Y-you see, me and Alfred are brothers, and-"_

"Wait a minute…**CANANADA EXISTS?"** Charice flew back. "I thought that was a fantasy realm!"

"You can't believe all that Alfred tells you, ate." Rizal sighed. "He's not exactly the smartest one of the bunch…"

"But…he said that Cananada was a beautiful and peaceful realm filled with snow and light shows [8]!" Charice stated. "It sounded extremely convincing!"

Throughout her strange tirade, Matthew couldn't help but wipe a tear from his eye. He never thought that his brother would ever speak of himself to some of his former colonies [9], and he didn't even think that he would be spoken about in such a high light. _Ah, brother…_

"To think…a land such as Cananada exists!" She remarked. "I can't believe it…"

"Uh, ate?" Rizal blinked. "It's _**Canada."**_

"Yeah! Cananada!" She stated. "I said that."

"Charice…it's Ca – Na – Da." He voiced out. "Ca – Na – Da."

"Hmph…" She pouted. "Ca – **NA**na…da?"

She wasn't going to realize this until later, but saying the phrase _"da?"_ is the universal indication that a certain silver-haired individual was in the room. That word caused Matthew to dart his head around in shock, and for Rizal to shake his head and rub his forehead.

"Nevermind…just call him Matthew." He sighed.

"But…that's informal." Charice looked confused. "We should be calling him by his formal title…"

"_No…it's fine. You can call me Matthew."_ He smiled. _"I actually prefer being called that…plus, no one remembers my other name."_

"Well, duh. Cananada is extremely hard to pronounce!" Charice rubbed her lips. "No wonder no one knows about you…"

"Actually, Charice…I want to dispute that statement."

Rizal sat back down on the chair behind him with a grin on his face, confusing the other two figures in the room. He rubbed the cross rosary [10] around his neck and glanced at the both of them before he decided to continue on his statement.

"Charice, correct me if I'm wrong…but isn't music an important factor in a human life?"

"Of course, kuya [11]. Music is extremely important."

"Isn't American music popular all around the world, even in foreign countries such as Italy and China?"

"Not all of them, but yeah, that's true."

"_W-what are you trying to say here, Rizal?"_

"Just hear me out, Matthew. Tell me this: isn't there an award ceremony in America that rewards promising American singers yearly?"

"_They call that the American Music Awards, Rizal…"_

"The American Music Awards…what a nice title for that ceremony. Remind me this, but didn't Justin Bieber win this year's Artist of the Year Award?"

"Ugh…don't remind me, kuya…" She rubbed her forehead. "But yeah…he did."

"Isn't Justin Bieber Canadian?"

"…yes…?" She looked up.

"That would mean that Justin Bieber is the most popular artist all over the world, right?"

"Um…I don't know if the voting system reaches past American boarders, Rizal-"

"Wouldn't that mean that, in some way, Canada's taking over the world?"

Charice stared at Rizal with a strange look on her face. He was looking at her with the same oblivious mask, and it was a shock to think that he was SERIOUS about that statement. She was about to debate that statement when she heard a deep chuckle from the other side of the table. She turned her head and _what did we see?_ Canada was chuckling softly to himself, his shoulders shaking and a really creepy look on his face.

_Um…this isn't normal behavior…_ She shivered.

**/=+=/**

**These are some notes that were mentioned in the story. They probably won't pop up as much in other chapters, so deal with them for a minute. **

**[1] ****Charice's pins symbolize the fact that the Philippines contain exactly 7,107 separate islands.**

**[2] ****The sun pin looks like the sun on the Philippines flag. I made the designs of the twins so that if Charice was lying down on the ground and Rizal was lying on top of her, they would make a human representation of the Philippine flag.**

**[3] ****The pin has the official coat of arms of the Philippines and is supposed to symbolize Manila, the capital city.**

**[4] ****The Philippines was the origin of the yo-yo, and it was supposed to be used as a hunting weapon.**

**[5] ****Charice is the name of the girl. Her name is based off of Charice Pempengco, a Filipina singer who was found on YouTube and has recently began to start her career in America. She's probably best known as the foreign exchange student named Sunshine in ****Glee****.**

**[6] ****Rizal is the name of the boy. His name is based off of José Protasio Rizal Mercado, a Filipino advocate whose novels **_**Noli me Tangere**_** and **_**El filibusterismo**_** sparked the flames for what would be the Philippine Revolution. He is considered to be the Philippines' greatest hero.**

**[7]****FILIPINO:**"Sister, calm yourself." **(Edited by Barefoot Bliss. THANK YOU!)**

**[8] ****The snow is basically the fact that the northern part of Canada is extremely cold and thus there's a lot of snow up there. As for the light shows, she meant the aurora borealis. I'm aware that you can see it in Alaska, but I don't think Canada's high enough to view it…**

**[9] ****The United States had bought the Philippines from Spain for $20 million in the 1898 Treaty of Paris. **

**[10] ****The Philippines is one of the most religious places in the world, 80% Roman Catholic and the other percent another branch of Christianity. It was heavily influenced by the Spanish when they took the Philippines as a colony.**

**[11] ****FILIPINO:** "Brother." **(Courtesy of Google Translate)**

**Yeah…a lot of notes. But whatever. Here are the twins of the Philippines!**


	2. How Italy is the Best Chef Ever

**CHAPTERS! CHAPTERS! CHAPTERS! Here's another day in the lives of the Philippine twins!**

**/=+=/**

"I smell food."

"What's that?"

"_**I smell food…"**_

Rizal stared at his sister as she started darting her head around the house, almost like a ninja. He shook his head as they continued down the hallway, not at all surprised by the Western chapel-like style of the housing. They were in Europe, of course.

"Ate, please behave yourself. We're in Italy's house, not ours." He stated.

"I know kuya, I know. I just…I smell food…and _**it's not burnt…"**_

Rizal shook his head. Charice was impossible to control once food was involved [1]. At least her bloodhound-like nose will lead them to Italy's presence. For some reason, he wasn't at the door to greet them. And he could've sworn that Italians were extremely warm to their guests…

They wandered through the area until Charice grabbed _(well…more like __**PLASTERED HERSELF ONTO**__)_ the next door. Rizal shook his head and looked through the crack that she had pried open. There was the figure of a young man at the oven, humming something to himself and tightening the apron around his waist. He noticed that his hair was light brown and there was a strange curl-ish thing extending from his head.

"_Is that Italy?"_ Rizal asked.

"_Has to be…he has that 'Italian' air thing around him…"_ Charice's eyes widened. _"Oh my god…he's making spaghetti…"_

"_Charice…__**Charice…**__"_ Rizal saw her twitch. _"No…don't-"_

"_**FOOOD!"**_

She threw the door open and charged into the room, her tongue out drooling for food. The strange boy jumped by the sound and turned his head, a spatula in his hand. The look on Charice's face made him shiver and whimper with shock, and he started to wave the apron in the air.

"D-don't hurt me, please!" He whimpered. "I surrender, I surrender!"

Rizal sighed and shook his head. He was about to walk in the room and clear their names when he heard an all too-familiar *click*. Charice froze, her eyes turning and seeing that there was a gun pointing straight to her head. The man holding the gun had a khaki outfit on, his hairstyle the same as the other boy. The curl was in another location and his hair was darker.

"_**Don't. Move."**_ The man spat. _**"Nessuno tocca il mio fratello. **__**[2]**__**"**_

Rizal didn't know anything about the Italian language, but when he saw the gun, something in him _**snapped.**_ He felt the old feeling back in his blood, his teeth grating. Instantly, he flipped out a yo-yo and shot it at his hand. It knocked the gun out of his wrist and he flew back. The man reached out for the gun when the yo-yo tied up his feet, slamming him into the ground. As the man reached out from the ground, another yo-yo flipped itself out of nowhere and tied his hands. He was completely bound, unable to move. The man felt a foot in his back.

"_**Walang pwedeng manakit sa kapatid ko! **__**[3]**__**"**_ He spat.

"_D-don't try to intimidate me…with a foreign language…you bastard."_ The man growled.

"Oh? Would you rather I say it in English?" Rizal growled, pulling tighter on the strings. For half a second, his eyes flashed red. _**"Don't. Touch. My. Sister."**_

Everyone stood there in a blank form of silence, Rizal torturing the strange man while the others were shaking in both shock and unparalleled fear. Suddenly, something caught Charice's attention. She turned toward the one on the ground and the one shaking next to her in rapid succession.

"_Wait…he spoke in Italian…"_ She gasped. "Wait, kuya! That's Italy! That's the one we're supposed to meet!"

Rizal froze, his eyes turning back to their brown color. He pulled off the yo-yo strings from the man, and he dusted himself off as Rizal backed up. The one at the oven looked extremely confused and lost, until Charice tensed up yet again.

"The food…"

"Eh?"

"_**The food's BURNING!"**_

The boy jumped as he and Charice dashed toward all the ovens and stoves, turning them off and mixing them up with other pieces of food. Meanwhile, the other two were just watching them run around in all their panicking glory. The man shook his head.

"_God dammit, this whole day's been a big pain in the ass…"_ He grumbled. "I can't believe I got myself beaten up by the likes of you!"

"Um…I'm sorry?" Rizal tilted his head. "You just lifted a gun to my sister's head. What was I supposed to do?"

"She was the one who attacked mi fratello!"

"Fratello? Hm…does that mean brother?" He smiled. "Ah, I see. You're _both_ the Republic of Italy."

"W-what the hell do you mean by that?" The man spat.

"The both of you…him and yourself…you are both Italy, correct?"

"…why the hell do you want to know, you bastard?"

"Your situation is no different from mine." He pointed to his sister. "Charice and myself…we both are the Republic of the Philippines."

"Wait…the both of you are related?"

"Of course. She's my sister." Rizal smiled. "Now then…since we're acquainted in a way, will I be allowed to know your civilian name?"

"What, are you just going to forgive me for pulling a gun on your sister?" He asked.

"…yeah." He rubbed the cross rosary around his neck. "If God is willing to forgive you for this, then I'm willing."

The man just stared at him with a look of confusion on his face. After a few minutes, they heard a long sigh from the other two. They rubbed their foreheads of the sweat and turned toward their siblings with huge smiles on their faces and a chuckle.

"Food's been saved!" She chirped. "We can eat now!"

"Ve~~! Our lunch is done, fratello!" The other one chirped _(wait, were his eyes CLOSED?)_ as he clasped his hands.

**/=+=/**

"Oh my god…this food is delicious." She looked up. "Seriously. This is awesome."

"Thank you, Miss Philippines!" The younger of the two bowed.

"No, really…call me Charice. It's easier on the tongue." She took another forkful of the food. "The guy with me is my brother, Rizal Pacquiao."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Rizal smiled. "How about you? What are your civilian names?"

"Mine's Feliciano Vargas!" The younger one chirped. "My brother's name is Lovino!"

"…Che."

"I'll assume he's saying hi." Charice smiled as she wiped her mouth. "My god, Feliciano…this is really good!"

"Why, thank you Charice!" Feliciano smiled. "I'm happy that my food makes you happy!"

"Aww…you know you sound cute when you say that in that Italian accent of yours!" She chuckled.

"U-uh, well…" Feliciano chuckled. "I really can't do anything about the accent, but-"

"_**HUGGLE TIME!"**_

This was when she proceeded to glomp / hug Feliciano. Lovino jumped from his seat, worried _(but only a little bit)_ for his brother, but was then greeted by the image of them just glomping each other around the room as they cackled as crazy as any Italian and Filipina can cackle.

"Ugh…not again. I've seen women around your area, but she just tops in weird." Lovino sighed. "Hey, Rizal, right? Is it safe for your younger sister to be doing that to him?"

"It's safe, don't worry…and by the way, you're wrong." Rizal smiled. "She's my older sister."

**/=+=/**

**[1] ****The Philippines is littered with food stores and restaurants. You can't turn your head even at a 45 degree angle without seeing one. It's the best feeling ever.**

**[2] ****ITALIAN:**"No one touches my brother." **(Again, courtesy of Google Translate.)**

**[3] ****FILIPINO:** "No one can hurt my sister." **(BarefootBliss, thank you!)**

**Yeah…the chapters are going to be better…soon…**


	3. How England Isn't

**Eheheh…since Italy's a good chef, I figured I might as well make this a two-part and talk about England for once…**

**/=1763=/**

"Hello!" She knocked on the door. _**"Hellooooo?"**_

"Charice…don't rush him. He's probably doing something important." Rizal sighed. "Either that or he's off on some meeting again."

"Aw, kuya…why do you sound mad?" She turned around. "England is a busy man, you know. He is blessed by God to rule over the known world!"

Rizal could hardly believe what his sister was saying. First of all, he was still surprised that she was calling him kuya[1] in the first place even though she was clearly taller and older looking than he did[2]. Not only that, but she looked happy that blasted England was ruling over them[3]! And she was going to give him food, too…

"Oi, England? You in here?" She knocked on the door again. "We're coming in if you don't open up!"

"Ate…this is our house!" Rizal spat. "Can't we just walk in?"

"But kuya...England is in there. You know that this is his house now."

_I can't believe her…_ He sighed. "Just open the door."

Charice stared at him for a few minutes before reaching for the door handle. Just as she was inches away, the door swung open. She looked up and saw that England was at the door, wearing an apron and staring blankly at the girl right in front of him.

"Oh, Philia. And Philip too [4]." He smiled. "I thought you two would be out today."

"We are! And we got a lot of food and wanted to share it with you!" She lifted up the bag. "It's BBQ!"

"Ah, I see!" He took a small bite. "It tastes good too! Did you make them?"

"Rizal helped me too, you know!" She pouted. "He's a really good cook!"

"Oh, of course! Rizal really is!" He laughed. "Actually, I'm just about done with making lunch. Are you two free today?"

"Lunch? Yay! Of course we are!"

Before Rizal had the chance to argue, Charice had grabbed his arm and pulled him in. She was leading him through the big house that England was nice enough to build for them before finally finding the place they were looking for: the dining room. England headed over to the kitchen as they sat patiently in the dining hall.

"Isn't it nice for England to make lunch for us?" She chirped. "This is the first time that I've ever heard him cooking before!"

"_I'm…not liking this at all…"_

"Must you feel that way for every nation that visits us?" Charice smiled toward Rizal. "They're all very nice to us whenever they come."

"_They're just trying to use us, ate…they're just trying to keep up their status in the world."_

"Don't feel that way, Rizal. God has blessed all of them with wisdom and courage. Have faith in them, kuya."

"_Um…Charice? Why do you call me kuya?"_

"Because-"

There was a slight knock on the side, and they looked up to see England holding a pot in his hands and a smile on his face. Charice's feet started swinging repeatedly as he started setting up two other plates and placed the pot down on the table.

"Here you go." He chuckled. "I hope you like it!"

"Yay! Come on, Rizal!"

He could only sigh and grumble as Charice started scooping as much of the soup as she could on both their plates. After a few seconds, he lifted up his spoon and took a glance at the stuff in front of him. He quickly cringed. _Was food supposed to radiate __**purple?**_

"Wooow! This looks really good!" Charice took a huge spoonful. "Come on, Rizal! Eat up!"

"I-I don't think that is a good idea…"

"Aw, come on! How bad can it-"

**/=2010=/**

"Oi, Charice!"

She looked up and around her. Rizal was by her side, she had just fallen out of the couch she was sleeping on, and there was a strange taste in her mouth. A strange…familiar taste…it almost tasted a little like…

"**OH GOD, ****EWWWW!****"**

Before Rizal was able to question, she dashed to the kitchen and downed a whole gallon of orange juice and then proceeded to chew on something sweet. She sank into her chair, letting the sweetness tingle on her tongue, before finally shivering in place.

_Never. Again. __**NEVER.**____**AGAIN.**_

**/=+=/**

**[1] ****The term "kuya" means older brother **_**(at least, that was what I was told)**_**. Rizal is wondering why that is because she looks much older than he is.**

**[2] ****In this time era, Charice looks around fifteen or sixteen. Rizal looks around five or six **_**(think chibi)**_**. This will be explained later, maybe in another chapter. I won't forget :D**

**[3] ****Between the years 1762-1764, Britain occupied a small part of the Philippines: mainly the capital of Manila and the principal port Cavite, both on Manila Bay. **

**[4] ****Philia is how England calls Charice. At the same level, he calls Rizal Philip. That's how I would humanize the Philippines. But really, I don't know.**

**Yeah…questions will be answered in do time.**


	4. How France Tries to be Suave and Fails

**Ah, these chapters are never going to end, huh? Well duh, of course not! PINOY PRIDE!**

**/=+=/**

Rizal wandering the halls alone, sighing and wondering where the heck his sister went. It was dangerous to let her run around like this during a conference meeting. Especially since she usually lets him do all the important talking. As he wandered through, he finally found a hallway connecting to the lobby and heard two familiar voices.

"My goodness…I never thought that something like that would happen to you."

"Every country has their dark pasts, _mademoiselle._ You and I are no exception to this rule."

He cringed. Was that _**France?**_ Alone with his **SISTER****?** Instantly he dashed as quickly and quietly as he could through the hallway until he hid himself perfectly from sight, just a few feet away from his sister's location. He peeked and saw that they were normal conversation distance away from each other. _OK, that's good. No panic room yet._

"So…this Jeanne D'Arc [1]…was very close to you."

"Yes, she was. She has saved me and my people so many times…and yet not once had she complained." He smiled. "It was…one of the few times that I ever willingly stepped in a battlefield before."

"Wow…Francis, I never knew…" Charice covered her mouth. "And…what happened to her…"

"You don't have to hold it back, Charice. She knew that something like this would happen to her, and yet even still risked her life for me…she was the only person I ever truly loved."

"Loved?" Her voice seemed shaky. "But…she was human. I didn't know that countries can do something like that."

"It's usually not preferred. Humans have such limited life spans compared to us, which is why most of us keep away from any physical contact with them above what we must handle. However, that does not mean that we succeed in doing so." France leaned over. "Just look at Arthur. He is the father of a human girl and does not once regret it."

"I…guess that's true." She leaned back. "It must be nice…to be the parent of someone else."

Rizal peeked through the side of the wall and saw that her mouth was still being covered by her hand, a small smile creeping past her fingers. Slowly, he turned back to lean against the wall that he was hiding behind and placed a closed fist on his heart.

_Charice…don't you remember?_ Rizal closed his eyes. _You were mine._

"But…you said that after trying to save her, you were arrested by the English police?"

"Yes, I was. It was a mistake on my part. I was so hungry that I had stolen a loaf of bread from a local bakery to eat. When I was captured, I tried to reason with them, but…they wouldn't listen." France closed his eyes. "They had imprisoned me for so long…I could barely remember the years that past by…"

"Francis, I…"

"After so many years, I finally got out of that wretched place…but even so, I was forced to come back to them every now and then. I was still a prisoner tied to their chain. So I ran away, doing as many small jobs as I could…but even then, because I was a prisoner at that time, I could never find something that would save me from the hunger." France sighed. "Then there was a bishop who was kind to take me in, and saved me from police officers who had tried to take me in again. I am eternally in his debt."

"Eh?"

"He told me that I can change. So I did change, and was able to change my identity to the owner of a small factory as well as the mayor of the town it was in. Being a country, I was able to lead them through a troublesome time and even through good times. Then everything changed when I met her…"

"…Jeanne?"

"No…but I swore that it looked like her. She was a worker in my factory, until she was thrown out based on false rumors. Her name was…Fantine, I believe. Such a beautiful fawn, she was…and such a young mother. Unable to work for herself, she had become a concubine just to pay for her child." He closed his eyes. "It was my fault that she was fired from her job…my fault that she was dying and unable to care for her dying body…I knew that I had to care for her daughter…"

"Wait a minute…"

"After I comforted her, I set out to find her daughter. It turns out that she was being taken care of by a local innkeeper and his wife, both cold and cruel…and their child, slowly growing on their evil ways. I had to save her, no matter what-"

"**Whoa **_**whoa **__**WHOA!**_ Hold the phone!" She darted up. "That's Les Misérables! [2]"

"Pardon?"

"Les Misérables! That's a musical set in your territory, right?" Charice stated. "I know that musical well! Lea Salonga[3] was in it! And even then, that took place way further forward than Jeanne D'Arc [4]!"

Rizal could only silently laugh at France as Charice continued her tirade on him. He had obviously protected her too well, when she could clearly protect herself. Still, now that the topic had been brought up, maybe he should start reading that book again…[5]

**/=OMAKE=/**

"_*sigh*…"_

"Hm? What's wrong?"

Rizal looked up from his book to see Charice sitting quietly in front of the TV, watching a DVD. He looked over her shoulders to see that she was rubbing tears away from her face and trying her best not to sob. Standing up, he walked over to her just as she turned the DVD player off.

"Ate…what's going on?"

"…I feel bad for them." She sighed. "Fantine and Éponine…I mean, they suffered so much."

"Suffered? How so?"

"I mean, think about it. Fantine died working for her child only because of a lie she was being told over and over again. As for Éponine, she…she died never being loved before." Charice sighed. "Is this really how humans live?"

"Charice…you got it all wrong. They were blessed in how they lived." He sat next to her. "There is no better way for a human to die than to die for their children. A part of the parent lives within the child, you know."

"I guess…but…what about Éponine?"

"She died in the arms of the man she loved. Even though he never loved her back, that is a blessing that even people who love each other with their very souls sometimes never achieve." Rizal smiled. "That was all she wanted, Charice. She knew he would never be hers…being with him is what she wanted."

"…what if I'm like Éponine and Fantine? What if I never find the man that I can trust and love, and die cold and alone without anyone caring for me?"

"Is that what you're worried about, sister? It's easy." Rizal wrapped his arms around her. "I'll be there for you."

Charice felt the strong arms of her brother as he held her close to him. She chuckled as she leaned on his shoulder, smiling as she stared at the empty TV screen in front of her. She could barely imagine seeing Fantine being held by Valjean and Éponine dying in Marius's arms shining back through the thick glass, but quickly dismissed the thought.

_I have my brother…and that's all I ever want._

**/=+=/**

**Eheheh…more notes.**

**[1] ****Jeanne D'Arc is the French name **_**(and the actual name)**_** of Joan D'Arc (1412- May 30 1431), the savior of France. She's the one who led French forces to multiple victories during the end of the Hundred Year's War before being burned by the stake by the English **_**(and England…I guess?)**_**.**

**[2] ****Les Misérables**** is a musical set in France. It focuses around several French characters over the period of seventeen years, and how their lives changed forever. What France told her was about…I dunno, half hour of the play? The main character's name is Jean Valjean, which France tried to convince her that he was.**

**[3] ****Lea Salonga is a Filipina singer that is popular in the Philippines and is actually well known in America. In ****Les Misérables,**** she was Éponine in the 10****th**** anniversary concert and Fantine in one of the Broadway Productions **_**(or was it somewhere else? I can't remember)**_**. Many would remember her as being the singing voices of a lot of the Disney Princesses, and the voice actress for Mulan **_**(and maybe for other Princesses…still can't remember)**_**. Anyone who watched ****Totoro**** will know her as the mother that was always hospitalized.**

**[4] ****The Hundred Years War lasted between 1337 and 1453. ****Les Misérables**** took place between 1815 and 1832, around the June Rebellion. Way to go, France, for thinking they were right next to each other…**

**[5] ****Yeah, quick note…****Les Misérables**** was originally a French novel, separated into five volumes for a total of 365 chapters. The musical cuts a lot of information out.**

**So yeah…on that note, I got bored one time and wondered how cool it would be if I casted everyone into ****Les Misérables**** for a Gakuen Hetalia crazy event! I was writing all of them down and started laughing at all of the results that I ended up with! Here's the list and see if you agree…or maybe if that should be another multi-chapter crack fic!**

**Jean Valjean****- Austria **_**(Cause I can roll like that)**_

**Fantine****- Hungary**

**Javert****- Prussia **_**(or maybe Germany…I always get stuck between those two for a lot of reasons)**_

**Cosette****- North Italy **_**(This is one of them)**_

**Marius****- America **_**(Insert America x Italy fans here…they exist, I have found them)**_

**Éponine****- England **_**(Insert angry America x England fans here…I'm one of them XD)**_

**Mr. Thénardier****- France **_**(LOL)**_

**Mrs. Thénardier****- Spain…or maybe South Italy **_**(shot by Romano)**_


	5. What Hungary Was REALLY Thinking

**Yaaaaay, more Philippine Twin chapters on the run!**

**/=+=/**

"I'm going to say this again, Charice…you must _really_ like coming here."

"Of course I do, kuya! Don't you know that Feli-chan makes the best food ever?"

"He does, but that doesn't mean you should be constantly hijacking his house every month and a half."

"But I'm _**hungry…**__**"**_

Rizal could only sigh as he allowed his sister to knock on the door. There was mumbling from inside the building, and then the door slowly opened. Instead of Italy at the door however, there was a girl. She had flowing brown hair and beautiful green eyes, and seemed to be dressed in a maid's uniform. Rizal and Charice stared at her, blinking only once or twice.

"…Hi." Charice answered.

"Um…may I help you?" The woman answered.

"Oh my god." Charice straightened herself. "Feli-chan really is a woman!"

"You know, I would argue with that statement, but…I really don't know his eye color." Rizal rubbed the back of his head. "And they do seem to share the same body type…"

"You two know Feliciano?" She flipped the door open. "Who are you anyway?"

"Eliza! Who is it?" A familiar face appeared behind her. "Ah, Charice!"

"Feli-chan! Hi!" Charice's nose twitched. _**"I smell food…"**_

"I was just making something-"

"_**YAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY!"**_

Charice charged into the house, much to everyone's shock. Feliciano didn't seem to mind however, and chirped as he followed the Fiipina. Rizal sighed at her actions before realizing that he was alone with the maid. He walked in and closed the door behind them.

"I guess we should properly introduce ourselves now that we're forced into the situation." Rizal answered. "My name is Rizal. The girl that ran in is my older sister Charice."

"You may call me Elizabeta." She shook his hand with a wary glance.

"Ah, you're one of those nations. I'll reword my greeting then." His words shocked her. "Me and my sister…we're the Philippines. We're a small nation, next to China and Japan if you know the location."

"Oh, I see. And I do know where that place is." She answered, her wariness slowly vanishing. "I am Hungary."

"And I know that place as well." He answered with a smile. "Knowing my sister, we shouldn't really bother her and Feliciano. If you're not offended or intimidated, we can have a small chat?"

"I won't mind." She chuckled. "You're such a gentleman. I rarely meet men like you anymore."

"Well, I get my manners from my sister." He chuckled. "If I may ask, how do you know Feliciano?"

"I raised him as a child, with Roderich." She laughed at Rizal's confused face. "Oh, I'm sorry. You probably don't grasp the concept of how nation's human forms age"

"It's not that. I'm not that oblivious." Rizal smiled. "I was just wondering who this Roderich is."

"Oh, right! He's Austria. We were only teenagers when we took him in…Feliciano was so cute…did you know that his voice was so girlish everyone thought he was a female?"

"I can imagine it, I guess." Rizal looked down the hallway that he had followed Charice. "He does have some feminine qualities."

"You…notice them?" Hungary sounded intrigued.

"Well, he has a high-pitched voice and stammers like a few girls that I know when he's embarrassed." Rizal sighed. "Then again, I've seen some guys do that, so…"

"Oh." She sounded disappointed.

"Um…so Italy seemed like a girl back then?"

"Oh yes he did! Poor Roderich and Heilrich thought he was one, so they told me to dress him up in my old maid's uniforms." She chirped.

"…Heilrich?"

"Holy Roman Empire…he was such a nice kid." Elizabeta sighed. "He loved Feliciano with all his heart…and he loved him back…they were so cute together."

"Feliciano liked Heilrich back?" Rizal tilted his head. "Did he know that…?"

"Feliciano knew. Heilrich most likely didn't. He always called him a female…but he loved him all the same." She sighed.

"Ah…what happened to Heilrich?"

Elizabeta sighed, shaking her head quietly. Rizal lowered his hand, realizing exactly what she didn't want to say. He shook his head to himself as he quickly tried to think of a topic he can use to snap the conversation back out of the strange sadness he might have dug up.

"Wait, Elizabeta…when you were dressing up Feliciano in your dresses, didn't you know that he was a man?"

"Oh, of course I did!" She answered. "Well, I more like found out, but…yes, I knew of him being a man."

"If you did know, couldn't you have just told Austria and Holy Rome that Feliciano was a man? I'm pretty sure they would have believed you."

Elizabeta was quiet, leaving Rizal to wonder just what she was thinking. Suddenly, he heard a low chuckle. He blinked and realized that Elizabeta was laughing…in a creepy-ish sort of way. And…was that a dark aura?

…_Oh._

**/=+=/**

**Introducing the Holy Roman Empire x Chibitalia pairing! Brought to you by Hungary XD**

**Yes, I'm pretty sure this isn't the real reason behind the canon pairing, but it's crossed my mind a couple of times.**


	6. How Russia is Russia

**Don't mind me. I'm just getting more chapters across! Oh yeah, this chapter takes place somewhere in the beginning, so they haven't met Canada yet. Yeah, these chapters are really out of order.**

**/=+=/**

Rizal sighed as he paced quietly back and forth in the small lobby of the Conference hall. He and Charice were invited to a small outing with Kiku after the meeting _(which meant that Charice happily replied yes…they were best friends forever for some reason __[1]__)_, meaning that they had all the time in the world on their hands. He looked up from his pacing and saw that his sister was staring at the World Map in front of her.

"What are you doing?" He asked as nicely as he could.

"I'm getting to know everyone, of course!" She answered, her finger trailing over the North American countries.

"Through reading a world map."

"You'd be surprised, kuya. We're nations! You can learn a lot about them just by looking around!" She stood up, surprised. "Hm…America and Canada are brothers, right?"

"I guess so. All the European countries are just one big dysfunctional family, so I guess it works on the Western front." Rizal straightened himself.

"All right then…well, just by looking at the fact that the landmass is between two American landmasses, we can safely assume that Canada must look like him!" She pointed at America and Alaska. "Being surrounded by states makes it easy for Canada to be influenced by America, you know!"

"OK, what was with that statement?" Rizal looked confused. "Have you been breaking the forth wall or something?"

"No, that would make me a Mary Sue! And according to Nihon-kun, they're a _**dangerous**_ bunch!" She shook her head. "No, but you'd be surprised what you can find out about everyone else!"

"Charice, you can't just suddenly figure out who everyone else just by looking at a world map and reading human documentations of their pasts." He stood up. "You'll have to meet them for yourself. That's the only way you'll be certain about them."

"Hey, sorry if I like to guess! Besides, I only do it for the major countries. They're easier to read." She looked back at the map. "Take France for example. See how he's surrounded by five countries and two bodies of water? If you look at a regional map, you'll see that France is covered with rivers and lakes, making him a very prosperous and well-tailored nation."

"Not to mention that France is one of the biggest nations in the fashion industry."

"There you go, now you're getting it! Human influences influence them as well, too! Now, going back to what I was saying…" Charice turned back to the map. "On a regional map, you can see that there is a set of mountains between Spain and France, right here [2]. That gives me the guess that they're either good friends or barely know each other…"

"Charice, you're being a little over the top here…"

"Which means that the country of France has to be the most suave looking one of the bunch!"

"I could've told you that."

"Oh, there he is now! Hi, France!"

He jumped in shock, turning his head to whoever she was waving at. It was a man with flowing blond hair and a blue / purple…cape? Cloak? It didn't really matter, since he was wearing bright red pants and it completely threw him off his guard. Surprisingly enough, he was waving back. _Guess Charice was right._

"Ah, you must be Japan's acquaintances that he was talking about!" He said in that weird French accent of his. "You look so young…yet so effeminate! What's your name?"

"Oh me?" She grinned, extending her hand. "My name is Charice! It's a pleasure to meet you, France!"

"Please…call me Francis."

He lightly took her hand and kissed it with a bow. She blushed, a hand over her mouth. Please bear in mind that Rizal was still in the room.

"So kind hearted…I like that."

_***Drop kick TO THE FACE***_

And it wasn't from Rizal.

Nevertheless, France stumbled back to the meeting room.

"That was rejection done right." Rizal chuckled.

"Well, what can I say? I really wanted to kick him." She lowered her leg. "At least I was right! OK, back to the map!"

"Again?"

He sighed as he saw her chirp loudly and turn back to the map. After a few seconds, he noticed that she was beckoning him to her. He sighed again and shook his head before joining his sister. She looked a little mad.

"Come on, you don't believe me?" She spat.

"That was a lucky guess. A World Map can't make someone an open book!"

"You'd be surprised. Here." She pointed to a country. "I'll give you an easy one. Try it."

He hesitated before looking at the place where she was pointing. She was pointing to the big landmass of Russia. Now, he had never seen a regional map of Russia before or know anything specific about their past and culture, but knowing Charice she knew that he would be able to get something. He squinted.

"Um…he's big."

"How did you know he's a man?"

"Because that's what everyone's first assumptions of countries are. They're men." He answered.

"All right…what do you mean by big?"

"Uh…" Why is she doing this to him? "Well…I don't think nations can gain any weight, so I guess that means he's…got a big bone structure."

"Now you're getting it!"

_I'm just getting more confused than before…_

Suddenly, he felt a strange chill down his back and what looked like to be purple aura coming from behind. Charice whimpered as they slowly turned around to see a smiling face of a tall man with silver hair and a scarf. The aura was somehow coming from him. Rizal blinked.

"I'm guessing you're Russia." He answered.

"You must've heard about me, da?" The man answered. "Yes, my name is Russia. But you can call me Ivan, da?"

"OK, sure." Rizal grinned. "My name is Rizal, and she's Charice."

She was too busy hiding behind Rizal to properly introduce herself. He quietly nudged her _(at least three times)_ before she walked in front of her and quietly bowed. Rizal blinked and noticed that Ivan looked just as nervous as Charice. _Well, he really is big boned._

"N-n-nice to m-m-meet you…R-Russia…" She mumbled. "I-I-I really…really…hope that we can…be…good friends."

"T-that's good…to hear." Ivan answered, rubbing the back of his head.

"_**Back off…he's miiiiinnnneee…"**_

"_**GAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!**__**"**_

"Wah!" Rizal jumped as Charice grabbed his shoulders. "What? What happened?"

"_**IT'S THE GRUDGE GIRL! IT'S THE GRUDGE GIRL! NOOOOO, I DON'T WANT TO DIEEEE!"**_

_Uh…what just happened?_

**/=+=/**

**[1]**** Despite the fact that Japan took the Philippines prisoner during World War II, they reconciled between that time era **_**(the exact date, I'm not really sure)**_** and are close trading partners, especially when it comes to anime. There are a few channels I've been seeing when I was on vacation there where they had channels with Japanese dubs of them XD**

**[2] ****The mountains that she is talking about are the Pyrenees mountain range.**

**I based this off the episode where Russia wanted to be friends with the Italian brothers. Yes, I'm pretty sure that it's inaccurate, and that you probably really can't figure out who the countries are just because you stared at a map. Don't ask how that got there.**


	7. How Ukraine is Extremely Gifted

**LOL, more chapters about the twins. This time, you'll learn a little more about Rizal! Now, I've learned that Ukraine has gotten some potential human names. For now, until anything is confirmed, I'm using the name Irunya.**

**/=+=/**

_Leave it to Charice to oversleep. Now we're really late…_

Rizal sighed as he dashed quickly and quietly down the hallway. For the first time they were going to be in a UN meeting with other nations _(including the major powers)_, and they had to be early to put off a good impression. Of course, that was supposed to be the plan.

_I really hope she can catch up._ He turned his head in his jog and saw that she was slowing down behind him. _That's good. Ate's catching up._

He quickened his pace as he headed closer toward the conference hall. From the back of his mind, he thought he was hearing a strange bouncing sound just a few feet away. He quickly ignored it _(maybe it was something that one of the nations brought)_ as he turned a corner…

And ran straight into someone.

…

…'s chest.

"Ah!" The girl chirped. "I-I didn't see you, I-"

She paused as Charice caught up to their location. Rizal apparently got his head locked into this poor girl's chest, but for some reason he was not pulling his head out of the rack. _Maybe he was stuck in there?_ The rack looked big enough to get something stuck.

"H-hey! C-can you please get off…please?" She slowly grabbed his shoulders.

"Oi, kuya? Come on, get your head out of there! I thought you knew that this isn't proper!" Charice grabbed his shoulders. "Rizal…Rizal!"

"I-Is this normal for him to do this?" The woman asked.

"No, but-" She paused. "Oh. Now I get it."

"What is it?" The woman asked.

"I think he suffocated in there."

**/=+=/**

He felt a slight breeze going down his skin, waking him from consciousness. He opened his eyes and saw that the woman that he bumped into earlier was waving air into his face, trying to wake him. He turned his head and saw that she slowly moved back, a little startled by his movement.

"Oh, you're awake! That's good."

"Yeah, I'm fine." He sat up. "I'm sorry for earlier."

"I-It's fine. Charice told me what she thought happened."

"Oh, so you met my sister. That saves an introduction." He blinked. "Where is she?"

"She took your place in the UN meeting. She says she'll be there until you're better."

"I see." He answered. "Well, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course." He smiled. "I'm Rizal, the Philippines. With my sister."

"My name is Irunya." She paused. "Ukraine."

"Ukraine…I heard that it's a nice country."

"It is." She answered. "Very prosperous. Unfortunately, I still can't pay off my big brother…"

"Who?" He blinked. "Oh, you mean Russia."

"You've met him before?"

"Once or twice. We haven't been talking much." He answered. "He's a nice guy."

"He really is."

They smiled at each other for a few seconds until they felt a strange aura radiating from behind them. He didn't know what was going on, but all he heard was _**"kolkolkolkol…"**_

Nevertheless, that was the last thing he heard.

**/=+=/**

**Wow, that sucked XD**


	8. How Italians Are So INTERESTING

**Yay, more Filipino powers! Let's see how much more we can do!**

**/=+=/**

"Hi, Feliciano!"

"Ah, hello Charice! It's always nice to see you around!"

"Che. What is she doing here again…"

"Let her go, Lovino. She's just having fun."

Lovino shook his head and watched as the two siblings were having fun making more pasta and teaching each other their native languages. He turned his head to Rizal and noticed that he was chuckling to himself as he watched his sister stare at the massive amounts of pasta in the pot.

"Is it safe for her to stay with him?" He grumbled. "I mean, she's so clingy…"

"So is your brother." Rizal answered. "Come on, let them talk amongst themselves. You want to go for a walk?"

"You really are planning something, aren't you!"

"…no?"

**/=+=/**

"Che…I can't believe I listened to you."

"Well, after threatening you with a yo-yo to the face, you were very submissive…"

"Shut up, you bastard."

Rizal couldn't help but laugh at Lovino's embarrassed face, causing him to swear even more toward the Filipino. Through the swearing, Rizal couldn't help but take a look at the Italian. They seemed to be the same height _(which was odd in an Asian sense__ [1]__, but enough about that)_, but for some reason, Lovino looked a bit older than himself.

"How old are you?" Rizal tilted his head. "Your body, not Italy itself."

"Why the hell are you asking me?"

"I was just curious. We look the same age, but I know that Italy is a lot older than the Philippines." He answered with a slightly amused look. "…unless you want me to unleash Charice on you-"

"I'm almost twenty-three, geez!"

"Huh…that's interesting. So everyone does look older than us." Rizal sighed. "I'm only sixteen."

"Seriously? But you said that we look the same age!"

"Charice is eighteen, too." He stated. "She keeps thinking I'm twenty, no matter how many times I told her otherwise."

"Wow, she really is dumb."

"No, just unable to let it sink in." Rizal smiled. "Hey, correct me if I'm wrong…but you were a colony of Spain, weren't you?"

"That freakin' bastard? Ugh, don't get me started." Lovino spat, crossing his arms. Rizal noticed that he might've been blushing. "Why the hell are you so curious?"

"What, you didn't know? Charice and I were colonized by him as well." Rizal blinked. "I thought you knew that."

"Wait…the _**both **_of you?"

"Yes, the both of us." Rizal's smile faded. "How did Spain treat you?"

"Ugh, he was such a freakin' pedophile! He always gave me cute looks, tried to spoil me and for the love of Christ I swear that he was probably on some kind of addictive drug every time he was around me!" Lovino spat. "Not to mention that he was extremely clingy to my damn brother."

"Huh." Rizal turned away from Lovino. "You're lucky he liked you."

"Eh? What the heck are you spitting out now?" Lovino glared at him. "If you were a colony of the damn tomato bastard, then he must've been such a big pedo to the both of you…_you_ especially, if you were the younger one."

"No. He wasn't."

"He wasn't?" Lovino cocked an eyebrow. This guy was definitely pulling his leg. "Then how the heck did he treat you, if it wasn't borderline molestation?"

"…let's just say that back then, he was our Russia [2]."

**~Flashback~**

"_Oi, Charice. You're late."_

"_I'm sorry, Antonio sir…but there was a flood on the way here and…I had to find another path."_

"_Well then, if there was a flood you out of all people should've known about it beforehand. Make sure this never happens again."_

"…_of course."_

_Rizal stood there, hidden from sight, watching as Spain continued to torment his older sister on her insolence and the fact that she was late for things that she couldn't control. He gripped his hands together as he watched the tortured look on her face. Why wouldn't she say anything to him? What's holding her back? She shouldn't be scared…_

"_You may leave." Spain folded his legs. "Tell your leaders everything that I have told you."_

"_Of course…"_

_Rizal hid himself from sight as Charice lifted herself from her bowing position and walked out of the room, wiping one small tear from her face before opening the door out of the room. He heard a small chuckle of amusement and noticed that it was coming from Spain._

"_I know you're hiding there, Rizal." He laughed. "I'm surprised that you haven't left with your sister this time. I thought you wanted what's best for her."_

"_I am. And I also know that you aren't." He spat. "We deserve our independence."_

"_You mean __**SHE**__ deserves her independence. You aren't like her, Rizal. You aren't like any of us."_

_He froze._

"_I…I am a nation."_

"_No…you are a __movement__." Spain stood up from his chair. "Your people are such a religious bunch, praying to the all-knowing God for an answer…and all they got was you."_

"_I am Charice's brother."_

"_Charice took you in for her brother. How is she supposed to know any better? You are no nation." Spain walked up to him. "You are just the incubation of their independence movement. Once your sister is liberated as you claim that she will be, you will cease to exist."_

"…_cease…"_

"_Maybe she did know better…that's probably why she's not saying anything against me." Spain started out the door. "Knowing that saving your sister is going to be the end of you, will you still lift your hand against me…?"_

"_As many times as I have to." Rizal spat. "If that's the only purpose I have…so be it."_

"_That courage in such a young form…I admire that." Spain smirked. "When the time comes, I want to see that face again."_

_With that note, Spain headed out the door, leaving Rizal alone. And for the first time, he felt true fear._

**~End Flashback~**

_Charice never knew the truth…she couldn't be protecting me. And she was never scared of him…_ Rizal looked up. _Why didn't she say anything?_

**/=+=/**

"Eh? Is something wrong, Charice?"

"Nah, just remembering something." She answered, staring at the pot in front of her. "Nothing too important."

"Oh…OK." Feliciano looked back to his pot. "You just looked sad…"

"We all have our sad moments, Feliciano." Charice stated. "It makes the happy moments we obtain all the more memorable."

"Memorable…" The image of Holy Roman Empire came to mind. "Yeah…I guess that's true."

Charice turned to Feliciano, seeing a strange light in his closed eyes _(wait, was that possible?)_. But what really caught her interest was the curl on his head. It was bobbing up and down as if happy as well. She turned her head around and noted that nothing was attached to it to make it move.

_What the heck is making that thing move?_ She blinked. _I want a curl like that…_

Without even thinking about it, she grabbed it and pulled it. Twice.

It got Feliciano's attention, but not in the way that she was expecting. He gasped cutely, but after that the sounds coming out of his mouth sounded…um…interesting? Every time she thought she was hurting him, he would make that weird squeak that sounded otherwise. After a while they both stopped moving, Feliciano covering his mouth and cheeks with clenched fists and making him look extremely cute.

"…Feliciano?"

"_C-Charice…ah, Charice…"_ He was shaking. _"I…I…a-ah…"_

She let go and lifted her arms up in peace, extremely creeped out. Feliciano backed up, looking down and looking _extremely_ adorable…even more than before. She had to admit: she seriously wanted to hug him. Tightly. And so she did. He squeaked in shock, but made no move to remove her.

"_C-Charice…?"_ He whimpered.

"Awwww…you're so cute." She chirped.

"_**DAMN YOU CHARICE! BACK THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!"**_

Eh?

Charice looked up from hugging Feliciano and saw Lovino standing at the doorway, growling under his breath in a weird way, begging for blood while Rizal hung in the back slightly amused. Feliciano might've been scared, if it hadn't been for the fact that he was still suffering from the aftereffects of getting his curl pulled.

"You really **were** planning something, weren't you!" Lovino pointed at her. "What the heck is your problem, sexually harassing him like that!"

"Sexual harassment?" Charice turned to Feliciano.

"…U-um…" He looked really cute when flustered.

"Sorry?" She let him go. "I thought Italians were the huggy type."

"_**THAT WASN'T WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT!"**_

"Eh?" She blinked. "OK, now I'm confused."

"Oh." Rizal stepped forward. "I think he means this."

And without any warning, he just yanked the curl on Lovino's head. Instantly, Lovino froze and his face flushed red. He started swearing underneath his breath, fidgeting in the same way that Feliciano was earlier. Charice stood there with a blank look on her face and instantly thought that Lovino looked really cute.

"…rape."

"Wha-"

_***tackle***_

**/=+=/**

**[1]**** Lovino's height is never really mentioned, but there are some assumptions that it's the same as Feliciano's, putting his height up to 172 cm. Rounding that off, it's about 5'7". If they were the same height, Rizal is 5'7" as well. However, Filipinos **_**(like many Asians, as far as I'm concerned)**_** are really small, usually rounding off a height of around 5'3", or around 162 cm.**

**[2] ****It had been stated by Himaruya himself that Spain might as well have two faces, like Russia. Antonio's infatuation with Lovino was based off the question of why Spain spent so much money protecting it and was so desperate to regain Italy after losing it in the War of the Spanish Succession. And another character note said that while Spain was nice to both Italys, he was stern toward his other colonies. Ironically enough, it was also stated that Spain was fond of children. Charice and Rizal were definitely children when Spain took them as a colony.**

**As you can see, the Italians and Filipinos seem to work together really well: the Italians cook and the Filipinos eat. ULTIMATE WIN!**

**And if I can't do anything else, I might put Spain in here.**


	9. What Time Has Washed Away

**Soo…more Philippine Twins! And this one might be a little more serious…but no angst! At least…I won't be aiming for angst. So don't worry about it :D**

/=+=/

She had to say it once: sitting in a long conference hall was freaking _**boring**_.

She had taken a random seat in the room _(just to look like she was a mature and functional country…cause that's how countries are supposed to run)_ and had to watch as everyone blew up into an argument. What was odd about it was that the arguments sounded more like ego trips: England was fighting France again while America laughs at them for his own amusement, Germany was trying to wake up Italy for the thousandth time, and Russia was basically scaring everyone.

Fortunately for her, she was sitting next to Austria and some blond guy. At first she thought it was France, but then again France was arguing with England. Was it America? No, he's still over there laughing. Maybe it's someone related to him? She assumed it was Mexico and moved on…until she realized he was too pale to be Mexico. She ended it with thinking it was northern Mexico.

As she was minding her own business, hearing everyone talk to each other above the bustle and basically getting nothing done, she realized that there was a blank piece of paper in front of her _(supposedly discarded by one of these guys in the middle of some random debate)_. She sighed, rolled her eyes, picked up a pen and dragged the paper in front of her.

_**~I swear…I just need to vent this out.~**_

_**~As I'm sitting here in this "supposed" conference, I see two of the largest nations to boot arguing with each other for the sole purpose of seeing who's better, with the third biggest laughing at them without stopping them! Someone else probably would've stopped it if it hadn't been for the fact that EVERYONE is arguing!~**_

_**~Seriously, what the heck is going on? Is this seriously what we're entrusting the majority of our future on? That just sucks.~**_

She lifted her head up to the others, seeing everyone still arguing among each other for no apparent reason. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Spain talking to Romano. She had no idea what they were talking about, but by the look on Romano's face he didn't like it at all. In the midst of their argument Spain looked up, smiled, and lightly waved at her. She couldn't help but smile and wave back, seeing as he turned back to Romano.

_**~Spain just smiled at me. He was talking to Romano about something, but he clearly wasn't paying attention at all. He really needs to focus a lot more.~**_

That's when it hit her.

_**~I never saw him smile before.~**_

She looked back around toward the arguments exploding around her as the strange realization was sinking in her. She couldn't help but wonder if everyone else had figured this out a long time ago, if they were sitting in this exact same spot and thinking the exact same thing. In case that didn't happen, she was prepared to write it all down.

_**~Odd enough, up until a few years ago I have never seen many of these people before. I never thought my world could be so big.~**_

_**~We've gone a long way, haven't we?~**_

She looked up from her paper and saw that Germany had finally gotten up from his seat and broke the argument between England and France, while the both of them were grumbling about something. She blinked and looked back at her paper.

_**~While I'm writing this, Germany had broken up the argument between England and France. Wasn't it less than a hundred years that they were fighting in a huge war? Weren't we all fighting in a huge war once before? Hadn't my brother almost sacrificed himself to protect me and my people when Japan took over? Even now, I can clearly remember the day my brother took up the gun and joined the Americans to fight them. I had never cried so much before. And you know what? A few decades later, and me and Japan are the closest of trading partners, even best buddies!~**_

_**~You know what? I kinda wish that I have my iPod with me right now. I downloaded a lot of good songs from Japan, and I really want to listen to them right now…~**_

She sighed as she rubbed her wrist from the cramp it took over. Looking up, she saw that America and Russia were shaking hands with each other.

_**~Russia and America are shaking hands with each other. Wasn't it a few years ago that America was completely scared of Russia because they were communists? Weren't they scared of China when it turned communist? Now Russia is a republic, but China is still a communist country and America probably couldn't care less (like I would know)~**_

_**~It's so weird to think about everyone being here in the same room if you think about the past. We nations never age like the humans, so we go into more conflicts and we break all kinds of relationships. Take the colonies and their founding nations, for example. I can assume that Spain probably didn't give a heck about losing me and my brother, but I'm talking about everyone else. China had raised Japan for a long time. France raised...Canada, I think his name was? And you can't forget England and America. From what I heard, they were inseparable before the American Revolution.~**_

_**~I can just imagine the look on their faces when their colonies left them. They've basically raised these people ever since they were babies, and they didn't even prepare themselves for the fact that they could leave. Yet when they did, it was always through war. I particularly feel bad for China, since he's the oldest nation in the world and must've had a lot of colonies. I heard that he was about 4000 and such. After those colonies had separated, there was a period where they had never spoken to each other. That tension is almost completely gone now…they're so normal with each other…~**_

She looked up again and saw Germany and America were shaking hands as well, a blank look on her face.

_**~Germany just shook hands with America. To think, just a few decades ago they were the complete polar opposites in a war that engulfed the entire world. The Americans hated the Germans, and vice versa. Now we're basically easy peasy with each other as if a fight had never taken place. I wonder if the tension is still there between the two. If there is, they're doing a good job of hiding it. And last time I checked, they weren't considerate of each other during the war.~**_

She sighed as the meeting actually commenced.

_**~A lot has happened in the past couple of years. Getting my status as a country means that I get to meet others like myself that I never imagined, like Austria and Canada. It feels so liberating to be in the same room as so many important nations, calmly dictating what they think is right for the world. Odd enough, with all the niceness coming out of all of them, you could never think that a small relationship had been tainted with so much hate and anger so long ago…~**_

For some reason, she actually felt a little liberated just by writing this. She looked up and saw everyone arguing with each other yet again, yet they're going to leave this room unchanged, undeterred. That alone made her smile.

_**~We're still a long way to go before we can ever achieve true world peace…~**_

_**~But a long time ago, I was told that time healed all wounds.~**_

_**~I guess they were right.~**_

**/=+=/**

**See? No angst. Just like I promised :D**


	10. What Rizal Can Learn From Germany

**Heck, if Charice can have her own chapter, let's have Rizal one shall we? Let's do this!**

**/=+=/**

Rizal sat there quietly as the whole meeting started. There was nothing more than arguments about purely nothing _(maybe there was something important going on, but he wasn't really sure)_ as Rizal just waited for something to go on. He turned his head around and took a glance at everyone in the room.

_Wow…everyone looks really old._ He thought. _I think the youngest person in this room is Emil __[1]__…he's seventeen, I think._

Funny how Rizal beats him by one year…

After five minutes, he was seriously getting bored. He looked up and saw that Charice was passing the time writing something on a random piece of paper and looking around as well. He sighed, muttering how lucky she was to have something to do. Maybe he could leave…

"_**Will everyone SHUT UP!"**_

He blinked as everyone jumped from that statement, not surprised that Germany had snapped from the fact that nothing was getting done. Unfortunately, Rizal found himself zoning out yet again when the meeting actually _started._ Why was he even here? Charice is the country, his job is over now…

"I call you to the stand!"

Rizal's eyes blinked, realizing that he was the one that Germany was talking to. He panicked, scared that he was going to be asked about the events that had glazed itself over his head. He decided to go with his instinct, and found himself standing up.

"Sir." He blurted out.

"You who represents the heart of the Republic of the Philippines…are you aware about the current state of your country?"

"Yes sir, I do." Rizal answered, keeping his voice level and professional. "The gap between those of the rich and those of the poor is a wide one, but they unite together whenever the situation calls for it."

"What situation would that be?"

Rizal rubbed the back of his head. How was he going to explain this one without sounding like an idiot? He gave up trying to figure it out and took one long sigh. Hopefully, it wouldn't sound so idiotic when it actually comes out of his mouth.

"…whenever Manny Pacquiao has a fight [2]."

Charice snickered, while everyone else stared at him with a strange look on their face. He had to admit that it was unnerving, but his gaze kept itself fixated on Germany. Unlike him, the German was firm and tough in his appearance. He didn't make one appearance to flinch, and seemed to be the only one who actually bothered to run as a country.

He liked that.

"It's true. He's…a unifier of some sorts for us. Like a national hero." He tried to explain. "Is…that weird?"

"No…he's a talented congressman, last time I checked." Germany answered, not even looking like he was going to laugh. Maybe it was a German thing? "And from what I checked, your economy is in good hands."

"Better than before, but I don't want to compare it to other economies like yourself and America's. We're not…up to that level yet."

"There is hope for you two yet." Germany turned to the others. "You see this? This is the third conference that he has been in and he's already learning about how important these meetings are! Can't you learn anything from him?"

_Was I just used as an example?_

For some reason, Rizal seemed proud of the fact that he was being praised by the German _(that was intimidating to no end)_ as he sat back down in his seat and another argument blew up between everyone. His gaze turned toward him, and he was surprised to see that despite the fact that he's screaming his head off, he actually looked like he was keeping himself level-headed.

He liked that too.

"_Ve~~~Doitsu is scary when he's yelling like that."_

"_He just takes his job seriously, Veneziano."_ Rizal stated, oblivious to what he meant. _"Nothing wrong with that."_

"_Of course there isn't! He's Doitsu, the reliable one, after all!"_

Rizal found himself getting hurt by that statement as Feliciano continued to swing his legs. Germany was a reliable man, able to protect all that he had taken under his wing _(with a bit of an exception from World War II, but that was because he was basically everywhere)_. Him, on the other hand, he had tried to protect Charice how many times and look how that failed. First it was Spain, then it was England, then Japan, and then even the idiot America…

_Why couldn't I be stronger…?_

**/=+=/**

"Rizal."

He turned his head and looked up, seeing that Ludwig was staring back at him with a serious look on his face. It was somewhat unnerving, but nonetheless Rizal had long since mastered the poker face. It was the only thing keeping him sane around Charice.

"Yeah?" He stood up.

"I hope you don't mind me using you like that back then." He stated.

"It's fine. No one was paying attention anyway. The meeting was important." Rizal stated. "I'm surprised that none of these guys take these meetings serious anymore."

"I'm surprised that you know the importance at your age." Germany folded his arms. "How old are you?"

"…sixteen, sir." He answered.

"You really are mature for that age." He nodded. "You must've learned a lot from living under Spain."

"…sure." Rizal shrugged.

"You misunderstand me." Germany unfolded his arms. "Unlike most of these oblivious idiots, I happen to know that Spain treated you and your sister cruelly."

Rizal froze.

"It's common for the conquering countries to abuse their colonies to the brink of destruction. It's uncommon for them to even keep a cheery face." Germany looked at Rizal. "I can now see why Charice kept her composure."

"Yeah…someone had to grow up between the both of us."

"But that doesn't mean that you have to keep everything to yourself." Germany stated. "You share a country with your sister, yet you hold all the responsibility to yourself."

"…old habit, I guess."

"Well, if you do something like that, you'll pass out from exhaustion one of these days. If it hadn't been Feliciano, I probably would've passed out one of these days." He shook his head with a grin on his face. "Grasp your young years while you still can."

"…sounds good. I'll think about it."

**/=+=/**

**[1] ****Emil is one of the human names given to Iceland. His age is given to be between sixteen and seventeen.**

**[2] ****It's a joke around my family that whenever Manny Pacquiao has a live fight, the whole country stops to watch. The joke goes on to say that the government stops what they're doing and even crime rates drop down. For those of you Americans who probably don't know the Philippines that well, Manny Pacquiao is the only active boxer who is also a congressman.**

**There you go. Rizal-centric chapter :D**


	11. Why Canada Always Whispers

**More Philippine Twins! This is also labeled "Why Charice Should NEVER Stay Around Pure, Innocent Souls", just so you know XD**

**/=+=/**

"Hey, Al-kun! Good morning!"

He turned around and saw Charice waving back at him with a huge grin on her face. The glomp surely took him by surprise, but after a while he was slowly able to push her off him. Since when did she get so clingy to his brother, anyway? Or was she like that to everyone?

"_I-I'm sorry, but you got the wrong guy…I'm not Alfred…"_

"Eh? Oh, Maple-kun! Sorry, I didn't notice you!" She went back. "Oh well, you get a glomp too! Hi, Maple-kun!"

"_Oof…good morning to you too."_ He chuckled. _"How are you today?"_

"I'm doing dandy! I've been well fed and the world is great!" She stared at him. "And I have a question for you!"

"_Eh? W-what is it?"_

"Why do you always whisper when you talk?" She chirped. "It's so hard to hear you when you talk like that!"

"_But…this is how I normally talk!"_ Matthew stated.

"Seriously? No wonder anyone notices you…" Charice blinked. "Wait, don't you turn invisible too?"

"_Um…sometimes…"_

"Interesting…" She had an evil look on her face. "I just got an idea…"

"_H-huh?"_

**/=+=/**

Alfred looked around with an evil grin on his face. He's finally in the conference hall _**first!**_ Which meant that he could draw all the pretty pictures on the bulletin board for the meeting and show the world that he really is the hero! Grinning, he took a piece of chalk and lifted it to the board.

"All right! Now then, we're talking about…something…" He sighed. "Aw screw it! I'll draw everyone!"

"_Alfred…"_

He looked up from his position and didn't see anyone there. He blinked for a few minutes and chuckled, thinking that it was probably his thoughts talking to themselves again _(Liara had it too, so he figured that it was something normal among Americans)_. He continued drawing.

"_Alfred…"_

He darted his head back up again, seeing no one again. He muttered something to himself, getting a little freaked out, before turning back to the board.

"_Alfred…"_

"Dammit, Arthur, get out of there!" Alfred turned his head. "Yo-you're not funny!"

"…_Alfred…Alfred…remember me…?"_

He began to shake rapidly. What was this voice? Where was it coming from? From what he can recall, this was…a ghost?

"W-wait! G-g-ghosts don't exist! They don't exist, do they?"

"_Do you remember me…?"_

"**AUGH!** Where the hell are you!" He screamed.

"…_right here."_

Alfred turned around, looking straight into purple eyes. After a few seconds, he screamed bloody murder and ran out of the room. He materialized back into vision and chuckled as Charice came out from underneath one of the desks.

"That was fun!" She laughed. "And I got it all here if you want to see it!"

"_I-it's OK."_ He laughed. _"I think I'm good…"_

"Really? OK." She grinned. "I'll just show this to kuya later :D"

**/=+=/**

**Short, but true.**


	12. How They Cannot Deny The INEVITABLE

**Yeah, exactly. Don't know where the heck this one came from. Hey, Charice had a moment. Let Rizal have one too.**

**/=+=/**

It was just an ordinary meeting for everyone there, taking place in Moscow, which meant that Russia was in charge of the entire meeting. And if there was anything they knew at all, it's that meetings in Russia are just about one of the creepiest things that will happen.

"I just want this meeting to be over…I don't want to be here…" Alfred cried.

"None of us want to be here, bloody git." Arthur grumbled. "But we have to. It's part of the job."

"Will you stop complaining, America? If you are freaking out about it, think about Rizal." Ludwig sighed. "He's never been to Russia before, and his sister's so phobic about coming here."

"What are you talking about? Rizal's the only one out of all of us that doesn't seem to be scared of him." Alfred stated. "Does he **NOT** know what this guy can do to him?"

"Well, if you think about it, the Philippines and Russia haven't made that much contact until fairly recent times." Arthur stated. "He doesn't know him like we know him. Give him time."

"Until he dies horribly?"

"Until he dies horribly."

Alfred nodded as the meeting continued to take place. Of course, the fact that it was Russia meant that no one knew what to expect of Ivan. Sometimes he would ask everyone to be one with him the entire time, other times he would somehow snap and beat up someone randomly. The last time that happened, poor Kiku had to stay with Ludwig the whole night. And I will not go into any further details.

"Hey, Austria…" Ivan leaned toward him. "You want to be one with me?"

"Um…no, thank you." He answered politely.

"Why? You're only prolonging the inevitable." Ivan answered.

"He has a point there."

Everyone blinked, surprised at the statement that rang in the air. What was weirder was that it came from Rizal, drinking a cup of water and reading a couple of documents from the meeting as if he didn't say anything at all. Nonetheless, Alfred was in a panic.

"W-what did you just say?" He asked.

"We're all going to be one with Russia in the future. There's nothing we can do about it." He answered, drinking the cup of water again. "It's our destiny."

"A-are you alright?" Feliciano panicked even more. "I-is it the water?"

"No, it's fine. Russia gave me a bit of his water when we came in." He answered again.

"Um…" Francis got the cup of water in front of him. "What is this, Ivan?"

"Vodka." He smiled. "Don't worry, it's just Russian water."

"He's **SIXTEEN**, Russia!" Ludwig panicked. "He's underage!"

"Not in your country **[1]**." Ivan smiled.

So he's _**drunk…**_

"No, I'm fine, Alfred. This is my first glass. Now stop voicing out your opinions." He sighed, flipping over a few other documents.

"Ne~~~if you think that, will you become one with me?" Ivan asked him.

"…when the time comes. And it's not for a long time." Rizal drank the vodka again. "But I'll think about your offer."

_**HE'S GOING TO THINK ABOUT IT?**_ - [The thought going through everyone's head]

"When will that be, if I can be curious?" Ivan asked.

"Once everyone is one with you." He answered. "And it'll happen, don't worry."

"Um…" Arthur shivered. "W-when will that be?"

"Two words." Rizal looked up. "Pangaea Ultima. [2]"

Everyone cried that day.

**/=+=/**

**[1] ****The minimal drinking age for many countries is 18, mainly for the Philippines, and **_**(yes)**_** Russia. For America, the age is 21. For Japan, the age is 20. And yes, you can be 16 in Germany and be able to drink **_**(it's also true in Greece)**_**. For anyone who's curious, you have to be 19 to drink in South Korea. And if you're really curious, you can drink at the age of 5 in England as long as you're with your parents :D**

**[2]**** The scientific theory that states that in 250 million years, every landmass in the world will fuse together into a massive country. Odd enough, I've seen pictures that show that even if that happens, the Philippines would still be separated from Russia. Just so you know, Japan will be safe as well. As for America and Canada…not so much XD**


	13. What The Special Relationship Is

**Cause this had crossed my mind. Twice. Three times. OK fine, I thought about it the entire week.**

**/=+=/**

"Yes! I finally found you!"

"Eh?"

Arthur looked up to see Charice following him with a strange grin on her face. He blinked a couple of times before closing the book in his hand and sighing. Whatever she wanted, she was going to beg about it for a while, so he might as well give in to her demand…whatever it was. If it was too much, than NO.

"I wanted to ask you a question that pertains to you." She smiled. "I hope you don't mind me asking you."

"It depends on what you're asking me about." He answered, trying to sound like a gentleman.

"OK then. It's not perverted or anything." She clapped her hands together. "It's about this _'special relationship'_ that you have with Alfred-"

He choked on his own spit.

"Wh-wh-what?"

"It's that word that humans use to talk about that bond between America and England that pertains to the close political and cultural ties." She stated. "What **IS** that, anyway? I'm pretty sure that it's not just centered toward your bosses…"

"I-It's just a play on our historical ties with each other." Arthur answered / stammered. "Nothing more."

"Then why don't they call everything a special relationship?"

Arthur jumped in the air about a few feet and darted his head around to see Rizal sitting next to him, playing with a simple yo-yo. He rolled up the small toy as he turned his head toward Arthur with a sly grin on his face. _Crap, he's onto something…_

"If historical ties are the only things that keep a _'special relationship'_ together, then why don't they call the bond between Spain and Italy a _'special relationship'?_ How about Russia and his former countries of the Soviet Union? China to Japan?" Rizal rolled out the yo-yo again. "What makes your relationship so…special?"

"S-stop asking me such trivial things! It just means that our bosses are good friends with each other, that's all!"

"For fifty years?" Charice chuckled. "Don't your leaders change every four years?"

"J-just don't talk about it! It's just a cultural connection between a country and its colony, nothing else!" Arthur stood up. "Now…if you will excuse me…"

"Where're you going?" Rizal asked.

"D-don't ask me!"

They both watched as Arthur fixed his jacket and ran the heck out of there as if there was a fire right behind him. Charice couldn't help but laugh behind his back, while Rizal just played with his yo-yo with that sly grin on his face. He quickly 'walked-the-dog' as Charice turned to him.

"We just smacked him right into _dere _and back to _tsun_, didn't we?"

"Of course we did." He answered with that smile.

**/=+=/**

Arthur was mumbling something to himself as he hid through the hallways, making sure that no one was following him. After a few minutes, he took a deep breath and leaned on the wall, holding his head and trying to get the headache out of his mind. Suddenly he was aware that there was someone with him, and he looked up to see that Alfred was leaning close to him, an arm extending out to lean him over Arthur's figure.

"_Hey there, Arthur…"_

He blushed and looked down, looking like a girl. Alfred chuckled a little bit before rubbing his cheek, making him blush even more.

"…_Hi…"_

"Aw…you're blushing. Jumped into _dere,_ I see?"

"…shut up…" He turned away. "It's just that…Charice was asking about us."

"Pfft. She didn't figure it out on her own?"

"Most likely she did…she just wants confirmation." Arthur sighed. _"But still…I don't want to…just yet."_

"Hey, don't mind me. I'm perfectly fine with keeping us a secret. I know Francis and Elizabeta. They'll squeeze us dry until we have no relationship is left." Alfred grinned. "But I know Charice and Rizal. They can keep secrets."

"…I still can't trust her. She's extremely addicted to cute, and she might think we're cute together…"

"Well…_aren't we?"_

Arthur blushed as he looked up and see right into Alfred's bright blue eyes, before leaning in for a quick kiss on the lips. Unfortunately, Charice was watching. Fortunately, she was willing to keep it a secret.

**/=+=/**

**The 'special relationship' was the close ties between England and America. It was first established in 1946 in a speech by Winston Churchill, and has been used ever since. Many people have different translations to this "relationship", but this is mine, so deal :D**


	14. How Awkward Hugging is to Japan

**More to the twins. This time, we talk to Japan **_**(or as Charice would call him…Nihon-kun)!**_** He's overdue for some Filipino madness.**

**/=+=/**

Rizal looked around Kiku's house, seeing the tatami house and the sand garden that he thought that interesting. He was surprised that no one was around, since the door to the house was open and there didn't seem to be anyone attacking him with a weapon. He turned a corner and _what did you know?_ The back of Kiku was right in view.

"Hey, Kiku!" He called out. "Morning!"

Kiku turned around to see him walk up to him and give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek _(as all Filipinos do)_. Unfortunately, that isn't how Kiku rolls. During the hug he was stammering something Japanese to himself before throwing all his weight to just pushing him off.

"H-have you no shame?" He stammered. "This is my first time!"

"Your…first time?" Rizal blinked. "You've never been hugged before? I thought that you'd do it all the time with Italy as a friend…"

"N-no…he doesn't show me responsibility…he must show me responsibility!"

"Um…how do you want me to show you that?" Rizal turned his head. "You want me to come slowly? From behind? Give you a warning, cause I'm pretty sure I did…"

"No…no I…" Kiku blushed. "I wish to be the one to initiate it!"

"You? It's not that hard, if you think about it." Rizal smiled. "We can do it slowly, if it feels awkward for you."

"No…I must be able to control my own fears…and do this…" Kiku swallowed. "This is…a different culture…and it feels weird."

"I can start it, if you wish me to."

"No, Rizal…I must do this."

Rizal lifted his arms up with a reassuring smile as Kiku shivered at the awkwardness. Then, he lifted his arms up and walked toward the Filipino until they were right next to each other. He slowly embraced the man _(still shaking)_, making Rizal laugh and keep his hands up.

"Are you OK now?" Rizal smiled.

"…_this feels…weird."_ He mumbled. _"Your culture is interesting…"_

"You'll get used to it. I mean, you did it for Italy, I believe." Rizal lifted his arms. "Are you ready for me?"

"_**DUDE, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"**_

They both turned around to see a rather shocked Charice staring back at them with a shaking hand. That's when he realized something: she just entered the area, and has basically no idea what the hell was going on. And by the fact that she had time to hang out with FRANCE, you can just imagine what she was thinking.

"My god, kuya! Have you no shame?" She panicked. "I didn't even know he was your type!"

"Sigh…Charice-"

"All right, _**I get it,**_ **you're bi,** it's fine!" She said, gesturing with her hands. "But being bi does _**not **_mean being French! I thought you out of all people knew that!"

"Charice, Kiku's not used to be hugged before." He blinked. "I'm trying to make him used to it."

She blinked once. Twice. And then realized what he meant. Out of nowhere, she jumped in for a double-hug. I don't even have to mention how poor Nihon-kun feels :D

**/=+=/**

**Yes. Rizal is bi. Kay?**


	15. What Veneziano Truly Fears

**More seriousness with the Philippine twins. This might be one of the few chapters that is somewhat inaccurate, so tell me if it is. I won't take any offense to it…at least for this chapter.**

**/=+=/**

"Ve~~~~w-where are they…?"

Feliciano walked around in the airport, waiting for any sign of the twins to arrive for the next world meeting. He looked around and couldn't help but see the vast amounts of people that were around him. He couldn't recognize any of them whatsoever. It was then that he realized something.

"…L-Ludwig…?" He darted his head around. "Kiku? W-where did you guys go?"

He looked around, not seeing any of his familiar friends anywhere. At first he thought he saw the image of Kiku's hair, but then he realized it was just a Japanese man. He started panicking even more, being surrounded by unfamiliar men and women, with no one that he could recognize whatsoever. He started shaking as he started walking around in a circle.

"Kiku! Ludwig! _**Wh-where are you?"**_

**/=+=/**

"How fitting that the next world meeting is in Italy."

"I know, right?" Charice started pulling her rolling luggage out of the airplane. "We get to stay at Feli-chan's house this week, too!"

"At this rate, I'm surprised that his brother hadn't begun hating you for running around holding Feliciano as a carry-on bag."

"Aw, come on! They both just love me~!"

Rizal just shook his head as they both exited the area. As they turned their heads, they noticed that Ludwig and Kiku were waving them over into a clear area of the terminal. Charice skipped happily toward the Japanese man and bowed, surprising the German and the Filipino.

"Since when did you not glomp people?" Rizal chuckled.

"Since I learned Japanese culture!" She answered, looking around. "Wait a minute…where's Feli-chan? I thought he was here with you guys!"

The two of them looked around, curious on what she was talking about. It was then that they realized that Feliciano was nowhere in sight. Suddenly Ludwig froze and charged toward the back of the terminal, forcing the others to follow him _(Charice was having fun trying to follow him while holding a rolling luggage and a backpack on top of it)_. After a few minutes they saw a huge crowd surrounding a certain area of the room.

"D-don't tell me that…" Charice turned to Rizal. "Hold my bags!"

"Whoa-!" Rizal jumped. "O-OK…"

Ludwig and Charice started digging through the crowd until they found the clearing. On the ground was Feliciano: curled up in a ball, shaking rapidly and sobbing at the top of his voice. Ludwig ran toward him and started shaking Feliciano, catching his attention and allowing him to look up.

"It's me…it's OK…look at me, look at me." He said. "Feliciano, it's me."

"…_D-Doitsu…?"_ He sobbed.

Ludwig slowly carried him to his feet, allowing Feliciano to see Charice's worried look on her face. They both left the crowd and the terminal as fast as they could, all while Charice and Kiku were trying to calm Feliciano down as he started crying in Ludwig's arm.

**/=+=/**

After they went to Feliciano's home, Lovino was quick to comfort him in his room _(cursing Ludwig out on the way there)_, leaving the rest of them in the living room. Ludwig and Charice were both looking at Feliciano's bedroom door, waiting for someone to start sobbing bloody murder as Kiku and Rizal looked quietly at each other.

"…so what was that about?" Rizal asked.

"Feliciano never wanted any of us to tell anyone, but since you have seen it firsthand we should tell you." Kiku stated. "Italy Veneziano has athagoraphobia [1]."

"Fear of abandonment?" Charice turned her head. "Who in the world would abandon someone so adorable as him~?"

"It stemmed from his grandfather, Roman Empire." Ludwig stated. "He died after the dissolution of his empire, but I don't think that Feliciano knew of that until he was already gone."

"_Oh…my poor baby…"_ Charice held herself and shook as if she was holding a baby. _"I wanna hug him now…"_

"So he has fear of abandonment. I guess that makes sense concerning his grandfather." Rizal stated. "I wonder why he didn't say anything about it. I'm pretty sure that everyone here had some form of disease."

"Right! The same way that Lovi-kun has Choreia [2]!"

"_**SHUT UP, CHARICE!"**_

"I love you too, Lovi-kun~!"

"_**It's LOVINO!"**_

"Whatever you say~!" She smiled. "Well, there's the comedy relief of the day!"

"…all right." Ludwig blinked. "But Charice…I don't think that everyone has a type of disease."

"Ludwig…I have a disease."

"Charice, despite the fact that it's not common in people, I don't think synesthesia is a _**disease**_ [3]…"

"No, Rizal…that's not what I meant…"

Rizal stared at her with semi-wide eyes, surprised that she was even going to talk about it. It was then that the door opened and saw Lovino walk out of the door of Feliciano's bedroom. Charice walked toward Lovino and asked him something, to which he gave her a weird look and gave her the get-go. That allowed Charice to enter the room.

"So Charice is checking up on her?" Rizal grinned.

"She insisted." Lovino leaned on the side of the door. "Quite frankly, she makes me worried for him."

"I know." Rizal nodded. "You might want to leave the door semi-open in case he screams."

**/=+=/**

Charice closed the door behind her as she saw Feliciano lying down on the bed facing the door. His eyes looked up and saw the Filipina walk toward her, and he slowly sat up so that she could sit right next to him. She didn't like his look: it was too sad and depressing…and it somehow fit him.

"…Kiku told us everything." She started.

"I see…" Feliciano looked down. "I…must've looked weird, crying in the terminal like that…"

"It's all right. It's common for people with phobias to act like that. I mean, take me and Rizal for instance."

"E-eh?" He blinked. "W-what do you mean?"

"It's…something personal…but since you got a phobia, I might as well tell you mine." She grinned. "I have some form of…cyanophobia [4]."

"C-cyano…?" Feliciano had no idea what it meant."

"It's a weird phobia…it actually doesn't have any justification unlike your's, but…yeah, it's a phobia."

"…"

"Don't worry about it, Feliciano." Charice rubbed his forehead. "We all have our quirks."

"Um…" Feliciano rubbed Charice's hand. "T-thank you…"

"Haha…anyway, you want food? I'm in the mood for some pasta…with Italian sauce! Yeah, that's right!" She blinked. "With extra cheese!"

"Ve~~~~~that's great!" He chirped.

**/=+=/**

**[1] ****Athagoraphobia**** is the fear of abandonment. I'm pretty sure that Ita-chan's condition isn't as bad as in this chapter, just so you know.**

**[2] ****Choreia**** is an involuntary movement disorder similar to Huntington's disease. It's named after a Greek dance, since the disease makes people twitch like they're dancing.**

**[3] ****Synesthesia**** is a neurologically based condition when two senses are linked together and work in an unusual way. A common example associated with this is **_**grapheme – color synthesia,**_** which is seeing a letter of the alphabet **_**(take A)**_** and seeing it in a certain color no matter what it's typed in. This has a Wiki page, so you can look up the specifics. In Charice's case, she has **_**lexical – gustatory synthesia**__(which is centered to her being able to taste any food in the world without even having it in her mouth)._

**[4] ****Cyanophobia**** is the fear of the color blue. On the other hand, Rizal has ****ereuthophobia****, the fear of the color red. It's an extremely minor phobia, like they can handle being around that specific color **_**(otherwise Charice and Rizal would be avoiding each other like the plague)**_**, but their phobia is more centered toward their clothing. In other words, Charice refuses to wear anything blue and vice versa. I might explain this later, if anyone asks about it.**

**Wow, that semi-failed.**


	16. What Happens During These Meetings

**And now it is time to screw your minds over~!**

**/=+=/**

He could not believe what was going on right now.

First off, it was the first of the meetings where they were going to Seoul.

Secondly, it turns out that there was a costume theme going on?

Thirdly, the theme was **"BLACK PUNK ROCK".**

And fourth…

Whose idea was it to give his outfit to his Filipino sister?

Rizal couldn't help but sigh as he stared at himself in the mirror. She was gracious enough to not give him a hat _(god forbid that he would have to gel down his crazy hair)_, but went all out with the rest of his outfit. He could understand the suave black jacket, the fingerless gloves, the dress pants and shoes, but…

"Charice…?"

"Yeah?" She adjusted her school uniform _(yes…BLACK SCHOOL UNIFORM…that came from Persona 4)_.

"Why did you give me bandages…?"

"Because I didn't want you to wear a shirt~!" She winked. "And I know that you're shy about those abs of yours-"

_Oh god, help me…_ "Where did you get this outfit from?"

"K-POP [1]!"

She would do that…

So here he was, completely underdressed like a sixteen year old trying to push for twenty, walking down the hallways of a Korean business building looking like he had walked into the wrong district. He wrapped the bandages around his stomach, but after a while he wrapped a bit around his left shoulder and neck to add a bit of spice. She didn't complain. In fact…it made her sparkling eyes sparkle even more.

"You're so awesome, kuya…"

"…sure…all right…"

Rizal couldn't help but feel weird at all the skin that he was showing. There were not enough bandages in that roll to cover his stomach. Too bad she took all the buttons and zippers from that jacket. Now he was going to have to deal. What could possibly be any worse…?

"Your breasts belong to _**ME**_, da ze!"

He heard a scream, darting his head up to see Charice being glomped by Yong Soo, whose hands _(covered by chains?)_ were right on top of her chest. After a few seconds, Yong Soo paused and started feeling her up.

"Eh…? Aw, that's no fun Charice! How can you be a girl and not have anything here-?"

_***ULTIMATE FILIPINA BEATDOWN***_

"Charice, you're breaking a nation again…"

She took a few deep breaths before looking back at the semi-dead country in the ground. All it took was a few slaps to the face in order for him to wake up. He chirped and jumped to his feet, lifting his hand up in happiness.

"So glad of you to come, da ze!"

"We wanted to come here, after all the times you've been jumping around our little nation [2]!" She chirped back. "So where's the meeting taking place?"

"Right here, da ze! Come with me!"

And before he knew it, they were both chirping and skipping / marching(?) toward the meeting room. He sighed, wondering if this was what he was going to be like if he had a normal childhood and grew up with Charice without the wars and revolutions. Then again, he would have never been born…

"Here we are, da ze!"

Charice threw open the door, revealing the room to be filled with all the countries in full black outfits. He couldn't help but notice all the variety in the outfits before deciding that he was going to sit down and sigh and make sure that no one sees him in whatever the heck his sister threw him in.

"You've been thrown into this too, haven't you?" It was Germany's voice.

"Yeah…Philia does that to-"

He turned around and saw that it was Germany…only forced into the theme. What was even weirder was that he was wearing the EXACT same outfit that he had _(save for the police hat and the lack of gloves…and the gun holster around his waist)_. He couldn't help but think that he wasn't that bad looking. God forbid someone says that out loud.

"Oh my god, you just look so damn _**SEXY**__**."**_

Dammit, Charice.

Before he knew it, he heard a click and Germany's shocked look on his face. Rizal looked up and HOLY CRAP, she had handcuffed him with the creepiest look on his face.

"_**W-what the hell?"**_ He looked at Rizal. "What the hell is going on?"

"Um…she's in Cute-Obsession mode…"

"_**What the hell does THAT mean?"**_

Rizal turned his head and saw that she somehow tied up Veneziano with more bandages up to his mouth, leaving him spazzing and panicking and wondering what the hell was going on.

"It means…you're screwed."

**/=+=/**

**[1] ****K-Pop is the abbreviation of "Korean Pop", similar to how the abbreviation of "Japanese Pop" is J-Pop. Something like that.**

**[2] ****I heard from my friend who had moved from the Philippines that every weekend, Korean people just LOVE pouring into S&M malls. Wonder if that's true? Never seem to notice them…**


	17. How Nations Learn Other Languages

**This is going to be a different Philippine twins chapter. Cause I'm going to heavily abuse the online Translators. Sorry about that.**

**/=+=/**

"Hey, Doitsu-ki…I want to ask you a question!"

"Only if you stop calling me that in the meeting hall."

"All right, I have a question for you Deu…Dau..Doitsh…uh…"

"Just call me Germany like everyone else."

"All right! I have a question for you, Germany!"

He resisted the urge to facepalm as he stared at the Filipina girl in front of her, her hand straight up in the air like she was going to ask a question in class. How in the world does her brother handle being around her without snapping into something just as crazy as her?

"How many languages do you speak?"

"Languages?" Germany rubbed his chin. "Well…since I'm a part of the G8, I've come to learn a lot of languages [1]."

"Seriously…? Like how many? Eight?"

"Actually, six. Four of them speak the same languages: American and England, and France and Canada [2]."

"Wow…so many languages…so you know a lot of languages then!"

"I'm…getting there."

"That is so fascinating, Doitsu-ki!"

"_It's Germany…"_

"Hey Germany…what's ate annoying you about?"

Germany looked up and saw Rizal walking toward them, straightening out his hair pin and his goggles and his hands out ready to grab her in case she randomly gets into Cute-Obsession mode _(this has been happening often around him and Italy lately…)_. Charice chirped.

"Ah, kuya~! We were talking about all the languages that we speak!"

"You don't speak that many languages, Charice." Rizal sighed. "Last time I checked, you were too busy pouring her heart and soul going insane over Italy."

"Hey! You can't blame me for thinking that Italy is cute~!" She pouted. "E qualora lei non ha saputo, succedo sapere l'italiano spedito [3]!"

They paused at Charice beaming at her new talent.

"You know Italian, Philia…?"

"Of course, Doitsu-ki! After hanging out with Feli-kun and Lovi-kun for quite some time, you catch things, like how to curse in Italy with just your fingers-"

"_**OK."**_ Germany sighed. "Do you know any Italian, Philippines…?"

"…ravioli. Linguini. And…spaghetti." He shrugged, not ashamed to show it off. "Aber ich lerne ein bisschen Deutsch [4]."

"Sie hören sich zu formell an. Wenn Sie wünschen, kann ich Sie später lehren [5]."

"Ich würde großartig das schätzen [6]." Rizal turned to Charice. "I think Charice knows some German."

"Of course! _**Blitzkrieg **__**[7]**__**!**_ _**Kuchen **__**[8]**__**!"**_

German sighed. Of course, that's the only word that she knew. Well, at least she was redeemed by her Italian…a little bit. He couldn't help but think that she was a tad bit wrong on something, but too bad Italy wasn't in the room…

"Did I hear a bit of Italian around here, or is it just me?"

They turned their heads to see Kiku and Feliciano walking toward them, making the whole Axis Powers in the room. Rizal couldn't help but wonder where this was going to be going. There were just a few number of languages that he could speak, of course…

"We were just showing how many languages we can somewhat speak!" She chirped. "I mean, it's easier to learn languages since we're nations and all, so…"

"I see." Kiku grinned. "So who can speak what?"

"I can speak a bit of Italian, and he can speak a bit of German." She stated.

"Ve~~~I heard Charice's Italian, and she's good for a first-time speaker!" Feliciano chirped.

"Well, while we're on the subject…" Kiku grinned. "Do you two know any Japanese?"

"Japanese…?" Charice's eyes sparkled. "かわいい！サクラ！怖い！ラーメン！円！[9]"

"Um…" Rizal blinked. "それは良いことではないが、私は渋谷で一日に渡すことができますね...[10]"

"You'll pass as a tourist…but you'll have a long way to go Rizal."

"I know…but I'm learning a few other languages at the same time, so it's pretty hard…" He sighed.

"Damn, kuya…stop being so Asian studying everything at the same time!" Charice panicked.

"I can't help it if I catch a few things. Le français est facile à apprendre pour moi [11], Español es un poco como inglés, para que no sea duro [12], 그리고 제가 용인 한혜진 때문에 한국어 배우는해야한다고 생각... [13]"

Charice had a look on her face that seemed to scream _"stop showing off…"_

"That's a lot of languages to be learning at the same time." Germany stated. "How are you remembering which language is which?"

"That's why I chose languages that sounded different from each other to learn." Rizal stated. "They sound different when you speak them, so I think it's easier to catch."

"Well…those are a lot of languages." Germany turned to Charice. "You're not pushing five languages in your brain, are you?"

"Я весело провожу время изучение русского языка, спасибо за вопрос. [14]."

Everyone froze.

"Um…" Kiku blinked. "You're…learning Russian?"

"Да."

Nonetheless, Charice added another creepy point on her tally board that day.

**/=+=/**

**[1] ****The G8 **_**(called the Group of Eight) **_**is a forum created for the eight richest countries in the world **_**(or something like that)**_**. Actually started by the French, they are usually for political meetings and are usually very important. The list of nations in the G8 include America, England, France, Japan, Germany, Italy, Russia and…and…uh…whoever the last one is. Recently, France and England had expressed adding five more countries to the G8 **[Brazil, People's Republic of China, India, Mexico and South Africa]**. When these five get into a meeting, they're usually referred to as honorary guests and those meetings are called the G8+5.**

**[2] ****Right, that's the other G8 member…**

**[3] ****ITALIAN = **"And in case you didn't know, I happen to know fluent Italian!"

**[4] ****GERMAN = **"But I am learning a bit of German."

**[5] ****GERMAN = **"You sound too formal. If you wish, I can teach you later."

**[6] ****GERMAN = **"I would greatly appreciate that."

**[7] ****Blitzkrieg**** means "lightning war", and was a war method that was similar to a charge. They use all of their forces and their tanks to break enemy ranks and then charge without caring about their flanks.**

**[8] ****Kuchen**** means "cake". Yes, cake.**

**[9] ****JAPANESE = **"Cute! Sakura! Scary! Ramen! Yen!"

**[10] ****JAPANESE **_**(**__Sore wa yoi kotode wa naiga, watashi wa Shibuya de ichi-nichi ni watasu koto ga dekimasu ne...__**)=**_"It's not that good, but I guess that I can pass a day in Shibuya…"

**[11] ****FRENCH =** "French is easy to learn for me."

**[12] ****SPANISH = **"Spanish is a little bit like English, so that's not hard."

**[13] ****KOREAN =** "and I figured that I should be learning Korean because of Yong Soo…"

**[14] ****RUSSIAN**_**(**__YA veselo provozhu vremya izuchenie russkogo yazyka, spasibo za vopros.__**)**_"I'm having fun learning Russian, thanks for asking."


	18. How the Bad Friends Trio is Just Weird

**This just crossed my mind. Seriously, it did.**

**/=+=/**

Rizal had no idea how in the world he saw this.

He had turned a corner, minding his own business, to see Francis, Antonio and Gilbert drinking at a bar and clearly drunk out of their minds. As he stood there and watched them, Gilbert had gotten so drunk that he started bashing the bar to promote a clapping from the other two. He then proceeded to try Irish dancing while chanting the word _"AWESOME"_ over and over again. Rizal blinked for a minute before staring at his watch.

_It's only noon._

**/=+=/**

"Ah~! Hola, amiga!"

"Hello to you too, Antony-kun!" Charice chirped. "Nice to see that you're doing well~!"

She found herself standing right in front of her boss, the man that had ruled over her and her brother for over three hundred years. While it seemed weird that she was doing this now, she didn't feel that scared anymore. Maybe it was modern times? But she wasn't scared of him before, either…

"How's your life?"

"Ah, it's been a little hectic and chaotic with everyone wanting something from you in such short amounts of time…but I'm doing quite well~!" He grinned. "You should come over one of these days! I'll show you the greatest tomatoes that your mouth can ever taste…!"

"Maybe, maybe! But I spend the majority of my time visiting Feli-kun, so I'll have to remember that!"

"Oi! Are you making her just as dumb as you are, Antonio?"

They both of them moved their heads and saw Lovino staring at him with a bit of a stress mark on his face. Charice couldn't help but feel touched: she had no idea that Lovino had a heart for anything past tomatoes.

"Ah, there you are my dear tomato~!"

"_**Stop calling me that!"**_

"Aw…I think that's cute, Lovi-kun!"

"_**It's **__**LOVINO!**__**"**_

"Aw, Lovi-kun…"

"_**GOD DAMMIT, ARGH! IT'S ALREADY TOO LATE!"**_

Charice started laughing as Antonio started annoying the heck out of Lovino with all the obliviousness that the poor man could probably never handle. It was then that she remembered something. The reason why she was never afraid of him anymore…

_**/=[FLASHBACK]=/**_

"_That Spain has to be such a jerk!"_

_She started spitting out thousands of hate as she wandered the halls of her home. Why in the world did it have to be that man ruling the country? Seriously! He was such an evil man, hurting all of her people without even trying to care for them! He had no soul, didn't he?_

"_Ah~! A letter from Romano!"_

_She turned her head and saw that the door to his room was open, allowing her to take a peek in. When she did, she saw Spain holding a letter in his hand. And OH MY GOD, was he actually smiling for once? She stood there in confusion as he opened the letter and read the contents._

"_Ahahahaha…look at that! Poor Romano seems to be missing me? How in the world is that possible? I thought he never missed anyone!" He laughed, dropping down onto the chair behind him. "Ah…I can't believe it…so he does care for me. At least I know that what I'm doing is correct…"_

_She saw in shock as he smiled back at the letter, a smile that she never knew he could have. As she walked away, she started wondering who this Romano could be. Was it the country that he was caring for? Was it the country back near his homeland that he cared for? So he did have a soul…?_

_She smiled. For some reason, she didn't seem so scared of him anymore. He's no longer a heartless demon anymore. He's just a father…trying to keep a front._

**/=+=/**

"For the last time, Gilbert…you're not awesome."

"You're just jealous, Rizal! I happened to be one of the strongest kingdoms in all the world! People feared and trembled at my feet! You, on the other hand, are just a small country that always seems to be taken over!"

"Well, taken over or not, at least I _have_ a country."

"Are you trying to **push** something, dammit?"

"No…but I'm just questioning how awesome can you get if Roderich and Elizabeta both call you the most annoying thing on the planet?"

"_Will you guys please relax…?"_

But his voice was in vain. All Ludwig could do was look up and see the flames burning in both of their eyes. How in the world did these two become rivals anyway? Their bosses have never interacted even once! Was it just because Gilbert was that annoying or because Rizal was just this young?

"Admit it, Rizal! I've done some things that no one else could do!"

"OK…there was one." He looked up. "You raised Ludwig without completely turning him into you."

"Is that supposed to be a bad thing?" Gilbert asked.

"Maybe…depending what you think about it." Rizal said. "On one hand, I'm praising you on how you raised a man so dedicated to his job. On the other hand, I'm questioning just how in the world you two ended up so differently."

"_**IS THAT AN INSULT?"**_

"Do you want it to be?"

"_Oh geez, not again…"_

**/=+=/**

"Wait, I can't comprehend this…you were raised by Francis?"

"_Yes. He was a kind and caring father to me. I couldn't wish for anyone else."_

"…you were raised. By _**France."**_

"_I-is that weird to think about?"_

"Um…this is France that I'm thinking about." She stated. "The one that loves…everything."

"_Oh…well, he is over the top, but he was never like that to me, Charice."_

"So he hasn't…crept you out in any way possible while you were a child?"

"_No…I had a pretty normal childhood."_

_Wow…I feel like I just stepped into the Twilight Zone._

Charice sat there with a blank look on her face as she stared at Matthew, playing with Kumajiro as if the conversation wasn't the weirdest thing in the planet. To think, Francis had raised a child to adulthood without somehow traumatizing him to death. Or maybe he physically altered him to look like that…?

"Did he tell you to wear your hair like that?"

"_Hm? Oh, n-no. He just said it looked nice on me."_

_My god, he was planning it._

She was about to say something when she felt a strange hand up the back of her shirt. She screamed bloody murder and darted her head around to see a familiar face.

"Ah…you have soft skin for being such a young woman, no?"

"_**YOU JERK!"**_

_***Kaboom***_

**/=+=/**

"So wait…Fran-kun, Antony-kun and Gil-kun are best friends?"

"Yep." Rizal started playing with his yoyo.

"And they raised nations as well?"

"Exactly."

"But they're insane people."

"Yep."

"So…what can we conclude from this…?"

"Well…they shouldn't be trusted to be around people…drunk." Rizal stopped. "Or at all."

**/=+=/**

**Yeah. Seriously.**


	19. Just How Perverted Everyone Is

**Ah, the horribleness that is me :D**

**/=+=/**

It was break time in the meeting hall. Charice had been called to handle the domestic affairs, so Rizal was chosen to represent the Philippines yet again in the next world meeting. He was seeing everyone talking amongst each other in languages he couldn't catch, so he ignored them for a while, reading a Japanese novel.

"Ve~~~you look bored, Rizal."

"Hm? Oh, I'm fine." He closed the book. "You, on the other hand…"

"I don't wanna be here…but Germany keeps pushing me to come…" He looked up. "Where's Charice?"

"She's handling domestic issues back at home, so I'm handling the area here."

"Ah…" He looked sad. "Oh well…"

"Sorry for missing her…but we can travel there after the meeting's done." He smiled. "Knowing her, she's itching to travel again."

"Ve~~? She likes to travel."

"Yeah. She's just been to Italy, actually." Rizal laughed. "She loves the place."

"Ve~~~tell her I said thank you." Feliciano smiled. "Have you been anywhere?"

"Um…actually, I've been to France once." He stated. "Paris, I think."

"_Oh ho ho…"_ He felt an arm around his shoulders. "You've been to Paris, the City of Romance?"

"Yeah, actually." Rizal answered, not surprised by the sudden jump. "In fact, I've been to the Eifel Tower in the middle of the night."

Meanwhile, someone behind him started laughing.

"Ah…" Francis looked oddly…_**France-like.**_ "Did you…_enjoy_ the experience of being on top of the tower…?"

"Well, truth is…me and Charice went there just for the restaurant there." Rizal rubbed his forehead, not remembering clearly. "But I always thought that it was smaller than I thought."

_***GONK***_

"I guess it was because I was only in the restaurant, but I always thought that what people said about the size of the place is a little over exaggerated."

For some reason, it made Francis stand up and sob as he left, making Arthur laugh all the worse.

"Then again, it was a little bigger than Big Ben, I think. Maybe it was Parliament that made it look bigger?"

Now Arthur was crying. Rizal didn't get it.

"Ve~~~so Charice travels too?"

"Yeah, she does…mainly because of the food." He laughed. "Though out of all the places she flew around in, she found herself avoiding Germany for some reason."

"Ve~? Germany? Why?"

"Um…" He looked around and leaned in toward him. _"She hates to admit it, but Germans scare her."_

"Ve~? She never seems scared around Doitsu…"

"That's because he hangs out around you. And she can handle you." He laughed. "She said it might have something to do with the language sounding like people are screaming at each other or the fact that they're all tall."

"She's scared of tall people?"

"Extremely tall people. Especially when they're muscular." He sighed. "But then again, she loves German dessert."

"Ve~~leave it to Charice to like dessert." Feliciano smiled. "But she should really eat the German sausage! They're really yummy~!"

"You mean wurst? Oh, she's tasted it before." Rizal smiled. "She says it's very tasty and juicy."

"How about you? Have you had German sausage before?"

"Once or twice. I like it, actually. It's…kinda big, though. I thought it'd be smaller, but I've been pleasantly surprised." Rizal rubbed his lips. "Then again, Charice was able to stick two of them in her mouth at the same time."

"T-two?"

"She has a big mouth. Remember?"

"Yeah…I remember."

It was then that he realized that someone was dying of laughter. He turned his head and saw Gilbert slamming the table as he was rolling in his chair just to breathe. Meanwhile, Ludwig was sitting behind him holding his face in what could be the worst nosebleed he had ever had.

To this day, Rizal still hasn't figured out what was so funny.

**/=+=/**

**Ahahahaha…don't know where this came from.**


	20. How German Accents are Funny

**This is what I want to call a "mini-episode". It's not long enough like the other chapters, but it makes a lot of sense. I'll get a longer chapter up sooner or later, don't worry. I got an idea set in motion already :D**

**By the way, you must know how a German accent sounds in order to get the joke.**

**/=+=/**

"Well then, now that we have gotten far on our meeting _(somehow)_, we shall now call for a lunch break. Meet back up here in an hour."

All the countries stood up and gathered their things as they ran out the door for the best food that will be served in a French embassy ever. As Germany cleaned his stuff up, he couldn't help but notice that Charice was staring at everyone as they left the room. That surprised him, so he walked toward her.

"I thought you'd be the first one out the door."

"Eh? Well, I wanted to do some people watching for a while." She grinned, hiding her German-phobia(?) well. "All of them are very interesting."

"Well…I don't know if that's a good thing or not…"

"It's not that bad. I mean, everyone here seems to know pure English. And when we speak English, all of them have really funny accents~!"

_Is that what she's thinking?_ "Really? The accents are that funny to you?"

"Sometimes…I mean some of them, like England, aren't that interesting…but Feli-I mean, Veneziano…he has the cutest accent ever~~! Don't you agree, Doitsu-ki…I mean, Germany?"

"I do not think of such things, Philia."

"Oh right…being a European nation, you've heard it so many times…"

"That's not what I meant-"

"_Pfft."_

"What?"

"I just realized that your accent is cool too!"

"Really?"

"Well, I've heard it a lot, but I never really _**listened**_ to it." She tilted her head. "Is that why Americans say that people speaking in German always sound like they're screaming?"

"Philia…we Germans don't sound like we're screaming when we speak-"

It was then _(and apparently only then)_ that he saw Charice laughing uncontrollably and smashing her fist on the table with an uncontrollable laugh. Germany stood there embarrassed / confused, wondering just what was so funny.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's nothing…nothing, nothing at all…" She broke back down laughing.

"You don't lie to me!" Germany ordered. "We Germans know when you're lying-"

She broke back down into laughter.

"_**What?**_ Philia, what's so funny?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's just…" She said through broken gasps of air and chuckles. "All your w's are v's!"

"And how does that make it funny…?"

"W-well…every time I hear you say 'we'…I keep thinking of Italy…and him going _'VEEE~~~!'_ all the time-"

She went back down into laughter.

"That makes no sense at all!" Germany grumbled. "How in the world does that word make you think of that?"

"I don't know! But I can't stop laughing about it!"

"Philia, we-"

"_**VEEEE~~~~!"**_

Oh, now he gets it.

Nonetheless, it's now a running joke every time Germany says the word 'we', she breaks down laughing. Unfortunately, no one else knows why it's so funny. Ah, Charice. You're an idiot.

**/=+=/**

**For some reason, I'm starting to think that Germany x Philia is starting to look good. But Ludwig x Charice? NO! GerIta for the win! I may love OC pairings, but nothing can destroy my love for GerIta! *roar***


	21. How Germans are AWESOME

**More Filipino twins~! This time, I'm basing this off of a chapter I read out of a story called "333 Ways to Get Kicked Out of the UN" by iTorchic, cause it sparked a really funny idea that I just had to do. Hope you enjoy it~!**

**/=+=/**

"_Must you always state the word awesome in every sentence you say?"_

"_Must you always find a way to contradict my supreme awesomeness?"_

"_Must you potato eating bastards really argue about something this stupid?"_

"_Ve~~~don't make them mad, Lovino…"_

"_I can't, fratello! Those two just make me mad, wasting their times on things this stupid!"_

"_Hey, about this? To prove my awesomeness, I'm going to give you a bet: be me for a whole day."_

"…_fine. During the whole UN meeting, I'll be you…but __ONLY__ if you can be me. If I win, you don't say the word awesome for the entire month."_

"_Deal! Show off my mad awesome acting skills this way!"_

"_Ve~~~we should switch too, Lovino!"_

"_Why __**should**__ we?"_

"_It sounds fun~! Can we, fratello? Please? Please __**please**__**please?**__**"**_

"…_why me…?"_

**/=+=/**

There was something weird going on in the meeting hall the first moment that Charice entered the room. She couldn't really put her finger on it, but she had to figure that it had something to do with the fact that Gilbert wasn't saying anything…and I mean _**anything**_. In fact, he was reading.

A book…that he didn't write.

…

"Roderich…" She turned to him, terrified. "What's going on…?"

"The German brothers are having a bet." The Austrian answered. "They're switching personalities for the day."

"Switching _**personalities."**_ She turned her head. "T-that would mean…"

Charice slowly turned until she found the German talking _(rather…yelling? Or is that German speak?) _to a rather shocked looking England and America. And sure enough, guess what kind of nonsense is coming out of his mouth?

"Yeah, that's right! I said it! You know why? _**Cause I'm just that **__**AWESOME!**__**"**_ He turned to Japan. "Tell the others that the awesome me is calling the shots in this meeting!"

…

**/=+=/**

Rizal really hoped that Charice was able to secure good seats for this meeting. According to what England had told him, it was going to be about the condition of the nations that weren't in the G20 and their trading policies. It usually meant that he was going to have to get involved. Poor Charice knew nothing of that topic.

Speaking of which…isn't that her voice screaming out in the hallways?

_Huh…it is._ He blinked. _What the-?_

"_**BROTHEEERRRRR!"**_

_***latch***_

"**GAH!** God, Charice…" He pried her off. "What's going on?"

"_**I DON'T KNOOOOOWW…"**_ She started sobbing. "Doitsu-ki in there just called himself awesome!"

"…great." He sighed. "Now give him back what you stole from him and maybe he'll stop bending to your demands."

"I had nothing to do with it!" She stated. "It's something to do with a bet with his brother, and…I dunno, but he's _**really **_scaring me at this point!"

"…now I want to see this." Rizal lifted his head. "Huh…isn't that Feliciano?"

Charice turned her head and saw Feliciano walking toward them with a semi-ticked look on his face and his arms being folded on his chest. But what really shocked their rocker was that his eyes were open. Feliciano's eyes were open. Wide open.

"_**GAAAAAH!"**_ She jumped back. **"WHAT the-?"**

"…are you taking a bet like Germany is?" He asked the Italian.

"What else would I be doing, dammit? Wasting my time?" Feliciano sighed, sounding so much like his other brother. "My freaking brother wanted to do it…all for the damn…_**potato bastard."**_

Rizal could tell that Feliciano had to really stress the words _'potato bastard'_ in order to really be like Lovino. What interested him was that despite that slip-up, Feliciano was exactly like his brother. What is up with nice, innocent boys being great actors? What are they _**basing**_ their angst upon…?

"Wait…that would mean that you're acting like Lovino today…" Charice whined. _"Awww…_does that mean I can't hug you…?"

"O-of course not!" He stressed out. "Why the hell would I agree to something like that, bastard?"

"Ate…if Feliciano is acting like Lovino, then Lovino is acting like Feliciano today." Rizal stated. "Wouldn't that mean that Lovino is going to be the huggy type for the remainder of the day?"

…

"_**LOVI-CHAAAAAAAAAN~!"**_

All Rizal afterwards was a huge stream of fire shooting down the hallway toward the meeting hall. Apparently, all the weird things going on right now doesn't even begin to compare with the chance of being able to hug the other Italian brother.

"Dude! Who started the fire? That's totally unawesome!"

Rizal blinked. It was apparently Gilbert's line in Germany's voice. Turning his head, he noticed that it was Germany laughing at the stream of fire in the hallway. Feliciano turned his head and faked trying to look annoyed at him. He could tell that he was stressing about it.

"It's my sister's." He answered. "She's going to hug…Italy." _Whatever Italy is Feliciano today._

"Geez, are you serious? That sister of yours loves hugging people!" He laughed out loud, sounded really freaky. "And she's scared of the awesome me, too! What's up with that?"

"I…don't know…" Now he knows how mentally confusing this is. This is a _mind-bomb_ in the making.

"Stop yelling so loud, bastard!" Feliciano spat.

"Aw…you're just in awe of the awesome me, aren't you?"

As the mind-bomb continued its aftereffects, Germany shot out his arm and just one-arm hugged him. Feliciano acted like he was struggling, but a quiet and pleased _"ve~"_ echoed out of his lips, and there was also a small hint of a smile. Guess he can't really act around his German counterpart…in whatever mode he's in.

"Wish I can stay, kiddies…but I got a meeting that needs some awesomeness!" Germany let him go. "Hurry up, Rizal! Before Charice starts annoying my brother!"

Germany walked away with the skip in his step that was completely Gilbert, leaving the Filipino and the emotionally-switched up Feliciano in the room. He figured that he might as well help the Italian get back in Lovino's mindset. Come to think of it, a strange question crossed his mind.

"Is that what Nazi Germany was like during World War II?"

Feliciano facepalmed.

**/= [OMAKE] =/**

Charice decided that she was going to go research another country online today _(so many countries, so much time, might as well take it at her own pace)_, and during the madness that is today, she decided that this time she's going for Prussia. As she typed the name in the Google Bar, she was grateful to see that there was a Wiki page on it.

As she scanned the information _(mainly the wars and the fact that most of the history involved Germany)_, she couldn't help but notice one of the sentences on the page:

"_**Prussia emerged from the **__**Napoleonic Wars**__** as the dominant power in Germany, overshadowing her long-time rival Austria, which had abdicated the imperial crown in 1806."**_

…

She started dying of laughter at her computer.

**/=+=/**

**The statement above is an actual quote from the Prussian Wikipedia page. And I had to do this…I seriously had to.**


	22. How Prussia is AWESOME Emboddied

**This is sub-labeled "How Charice is a Fangirl", but most people don't know that yet. So have fun figuring that out!**

**/=+=/**

He knew there was something peculiar with Gilbert Beillschmidt the minute he saw him. Rizal couldn't really put his finger on it just by looks alone. The only thing that caught his attention was when he entered the meeting hall and saw a strange albino latching an arm around his.

"Hey, you're that Philippines boy that mein bruder was talking about, right?"

"…yes?" He stared at him with a cocked eyebrow. "Und Ihr Bruder ist...?" _**[And your brother is…?]**_

"Come on, you know him!" He play-punched his shoulder. "If you know his language, you know who he is!"

"…Austria?"

"No, not Roderich! Damn that unawesome cheapskate!" He winked. "Try again!"

Well, Switzerland was a stretch Rizal knew was stupid to take. But the only other answer that he had was just about even crazier than that answer. He had to throw it out anyway…god knows what would happen if it was true. Only God would know.

"…Germany…?"

"There you go! You got it!" He grinned. "You're a lot more awesome than I thought!"

_Oh god, it was true…_ _**"…HOW."**_

"Cause I'm just that awesome!" The man winked. "The name's Gilbert Beillschmidt, the awesome Kingdom of Prussia!"

"…Prussia's no longer a country or a kingdom." Rizal was confused. "And…you're still here?"

"That's cause I'm just that awesome!"

"Or maybe the Devil looked at you in the eye and decided that he might as well torture the world for a few more years." Rizal sighed. "And you can take that in whatever context you wish."

"You're mocking me, aren't you? You don't know the true form of awesomeness!"

"Is that why you're saying the word awesome in every single sentence you say?"

"I'm just pushing my point, whoever you are! Take this, for example." He pointed to Charice, who was sitting bored a few feet away. "See that girl? She's secretly wondering what I look like with square glasses."

_Where the hell did he make that proposition?_ "How would you know that?"

"Well, let's see…"

Gilbert whistled, catching her attention…as well as Rizal's accidentally. They made eye contact before he reached into his jacket and randomly pulled out a pair of glasses _(wherever the hell it came from)_. He winked at her before sliding them on in a way that only bishounen would. Before he knew it, Rizal saw her slam her head down and then turn away with a shiver and a Fangirl blush.

_Oh…god…_

**/=+=/**

"And may the awesome me know your name, girl?"

"Eh? It's Charice, the Outer Islands of the Republic of the Philippines." She sat up. "What country are you?"

"I'm Gilbert Beillschmidt, the awesome Kingdom of Prussia!" He winked.

"…how can you be awesome if you're no longer a kingdom?"

"I-it just works that way, dammit! Besides, I'm East Germany now!" He slammed his books on the table next to her. "That's just how awesome I am!"

"O…K…" She tilted her head.

Before they knew it, someone was calling for him. Gilbert turned back to Charice with a wink _(in those random ass glasses)_ before walking toward the nation. She stared at him for a few minutes before realizing that one of his books was a doujinshi. She looked back up to Gilbert before sneaking the book out.

_I'm so reading this._

She looked at the cover and realized that Gilbert both wrote and drew it, with the images of Germany and Italy in black uniforms. The title was in German, so naturally she couldn't read it, so she decided to read the book instead. The beginning pages looked extremely freaky…it was of seme!Facist!Italy.

Try saying that with that same image in your head.

_How…in the world…is that possible?_ She rubbed the back of her head. _What could possibly be more mind-boggling than that?_

She flipped through the pages, seeing the extremely seme and scary Italy ordering a strange shadow to do things that would make even #1 Yaoi Fangirl Elizabeta blush. It was only after the third page that she realized who his "victim" was. She blinked.

Uke!

Nazi!

G-

_**WHOA.**_

She slammed the doujinshi closed with a blush on her face, looking around to make sure no one was looking. She closed her eyes, prayed to God for forgiveness, and then continued reading it. Twice.

**/=+=/**

**The Awesome Prussia. Making them fangirls happy since 2008 ~:D**

**And it's the Filipino thing: when people whistle, we turn. Even if it's for a dog, we turn. It's sad XD**


	23. How The Filipino Twins Echo the Others

**More Philippine relatives~! Odd enough, I suddenly realized that Charice and Rizal technically aren't twins as they are just brother and sister. While I was writing another chapter for "Persona Powers Hetalia" **_**(which will NOT let me update)**_**, I suddenly realized this during some characterization of Rizal. Don't ask how this came around.**

**/=+=/**

"Ve~~~I just realized something, Charice! Your hair pin is very beautiful!"

"Aw…thank you, Feli-kun! It's still shining brightly after the first day I got it, so there must be something that I was doing right!"

Rizal looked up from his lunch table and saw Charice and Feliciano chirping away about hair pins and hair curls. He found himself reaching out to touch his own hair pin, bearing the same sun image as his sister's yet positioned at just the opposite side of his head. There was one day that he decided that he was going to try wearing it on the same side as his sister's, but he couldn't even leave his room without feeling extremely awkward and switching the sides yet again.

Come to think of it, wasn't it the same with the Italy brothers and their curls?

He rubbed the back of his head as he found himself thinking about it. There were strange similarities between the two sibling pairings. Past the strange hair fetishes, Feliciano and Charice were screamingly the same: they were clingy, obsessed with pasta, and can be cute when they wanted to. However, that's where the similarities stopped…unless Feliciano tortures anything cute behind people's backs.

Then again if they were similar, should there be similarities between him and Lovino past the hair curls? Maybe the fact that they have been raised by Spain and that they were religious? He rubbed his forehead in wonder until he heard a loud clatter behind him, suddenly making him scream out loud like a little girl. Everyone turned to him as he turned and saw that someone had dropped the lunch trays from the garbage containers.

He sighed and returned to his lunch. He had to stop being so jumpy.

**/=+=/**

"DAMMIT, Gilbert! If you start reaching toward me again, I swear to the Lord above I will _**crucify you IN FLAMES!"**_

"You can't crucify me, silly girl! I'm too awesome to die!"

"Awesome, my ass! You're a freakin' albino! All you can do is get cancer in the sunlight!"

Rizal stared at Charice as she started arguing with Gilbert about vital regions being seized and something about someone being crucified _(he was never told what "vital regions" were)_. He wasn't even paying attention to what they were arguing about, hearing instead the fact that they were now bantering to each other in their native tongues _(meaning that no one else can figure out what they were saying)_. Wouldn't it be nice if they can start speaking in English?

"Are they arguing again? Goodness, they can't get along for five seconds!"

He looked up and saw Ludwig sit next to him with his hands folded in a thinking position and a heavy sigh escaping his lips. From the chair next door, he couldn't help but notice that he had a lot of secrets behind his eyes. Maybe he was over thinking things?

"It's better than me arguing with him." He answered. "I mean, I can make worse remarks than my sister."

"Yeah, I know that. But at least you don't argue with him every time you see him."

"She doesn't argue with him all the time. They usually go around writing fanfiction or something." He sighed. "That's what they usually argue about."

Ludwig stared at him with a rather traumatized look on his face. Rizal couldn't help but remember Charice remarking how his face looked rather weird when she mentioned it quite **bluntly** to him. The fact that his reaction was basically the same thing made him think if he shared similarities to him as well. They were fairly serious about matters while Charice and Gilbert loved yelling all the time and apparently have a love for fanfiction. What genre they talk about…he didn't want to know.

"Well, if they're getting along at least we don't have to interfere, right?"

"Yeah…at least they can handle themselves."

Rizal found himself staring at Ludwig as he stared at his brother to make sure that he doesn't sexually harass the woman. He had no idea what was up with him, but for some reason he could see the light outlines of his muscles coming out of his green uniform. Compared to him, the Filipino was a twig. Maybe he should beef himself up in order to be a good country. All the nations seemed to be fairly muscular…

_Germany is a member of the G8, isn't he? And he's perhaps the youngest one of the group…or is that Feliciano?_ He rubbed his chin. _I don't know why, but…_

There was just something weird about Ludwig that Rizal couldn't help but notice about the German. His voice was extremely deep and intimidating, yet when he talked softly all that intimidation was _(for the most part)_ gone. It almost sounded fatherly when he spoke in a quiet tone. Plus, he always seemed to have no qualms about raising Feliciano, a crybaby of an Italian that while constantly intimidated by him was more than willing to stay by his side.

Now that he thought about it, it seemed similar to the situation on how Rizal raised insane, fangirlish, Cute-Obsessive, hemophobic Charice Pacquiao.

Rizal and Ludwig were grown in basically the same situations _(somehow?)_ and ended up being two completely different people: one sharing a country with his sister while the other grew into one of the most powerful countries in the world. He was such a powerful young man, trusted _(even with post-WWII relations)_ by all who talked to him.

_Could it be possible if I can be like him…?_

"Rizal? Are you all right?"

"Hm?" He looked up. "Yeah, I'm fine sir."

"What's wrong with your voice? Did it suddenly get deeper?"

"Eh? Oh, no…y-you're probably just hearing things." Rizal rubbed his throat. What a way to try being subtle about looking up to someone.

"You're trying too hard again, aren't you?" Ludwig sighed. "Rizal, you're only half of a nation. You can't just pick up all of the burden to yourself."

"Sorry…it's just a bad habit that I have. Someone has to protect my sister-"

"Your sister can take care of herself. You can be there when the time comes, but you don't have to constantly baby her."

"You do that to Feliciano and you're not even blood related."

"In a way, we are." Ludwig leaned back. "Feliciano has a bit of Germanic blood in his veins."

"…Wow…I never knew that."

It was then that he realized that as they were talking, Ludwig had grasped Rizal's shoulders. He couldn't help but think that it was extremely awkward, yet made no move to state anything to him. The German's hands dropped to his side, leaving the confused Filipino in the same pose.

"So the two of you are related?"

"In the same sense that everyone else is related with everyone else…but yes." He nodded. "We don't think about it."

"…I see…" Rizal rubbed his forehead. "I guess that explains why you're such a strong country."

"That just means that I know how to handle myself. I've been a lot in my life…some incidences that you've seen, and those that I wish that you never experience."

"…right. I understand, sir."

"Why are you calling me that? We don't have to refer to formalities."

"I…I don't know." Wasn't it just a few months ago that he was calling him Germany and even Ludwig without a hitch? What was going on? "Sorry, Ludwig."

"It's fine, really. You should get your sister away from mein bruder before she kills him. We have a meeting to attend."

"Right."

Rizal stared at Ludwig as he stood to gather the others into the room. For the first time, he found himself unable to look away. _Why, though?_

**/=+=/**

…**GerIta for the win. GerIta for the win. That's all I can say.**


	24. THIS

**I don't know…I seriously don't know where this came from.**

**/=+=/**

"Hey, Rizal? I just realized something?"

"That you're mentally insane whenever you see Veneziano sob cutely in front of you?"

"No…"

"That you're mentally insane whenever you see Matthew whisper something from behind Kumajiro's head?"

"_**No…"**_

"That you like pasta?"

"No…I was thinking how lucky we were to avoid the majority of World War II."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, most of the war took place in Europe. We were busy with our own issues with Kiku in our home country, so we didn't get to see the rest of the nations in battle."

"You saw Alfred battling, remember? You were with him when you went to save me from him."

"True, true…but I mean…all the nations in Europe were probably at their most mind-destructive states when they battled each other in Europe." Charice rubbed her forehead. "We only saw two of those nations in battle mode, and yet they weren't the most terrifying out of all of them."

"Now that you bring it up…you shouldn't have seen any of them." Rizal stated. "The worst of them would have to be Germany. This was during the Third Reich."

"…l-like Nazi Germany?"

"Yeah…Nazi Germany."

Charice quickly felt a shiver down her spine. Ludwig himself as of the 21st Century scared her _(being 6' 1" was probably the reason, compared to her 5' 5"]_, but to think of a time where the personification of Germany was violent and mentally cracked in the head…she shivered yet again.

"Eh? Why are you guys talking about Nazi Germany?"

They turned their heads to see that Arthur was staring at them with a confused look on his face. Rizal decided that he was going to drop the conversation when he saw Charice turn her chair toward him with a grin on her face.

"Hey, Iggy-kun…what was Ludwig like during World War II?"

"He was…different." Arthur sighed. "Extremely different."

"Violent different…I told you Charice."

"Well, violent, yes…" Arthur blinked. "But that isn't it…"

"There's _**more?"**_ Charice shivered. "Don't tell me he was into bondage!"

"He was…and handcuffs…and suffocation…and a lot of talking."

"…what?" Rizal blinked.

"Yes…Nazi Germany was extremely different from the Germany you know now." Arthur sighed. "He loved wearing black leather and was extremely over-dramatic."

"…like France?" Rizal asked.

"France was one of the nations that Germany overtook before the war officially started."

"Oh my god, this was France's fault…" Charice stood up. "I knew it! Once you take over France, _**you just won't stop!"**_

"Thank god that he's no longer like that." Rizal turned to Arthur. "…right?"

"For the most part, yes…"

"W-what do you mean by that…?" Charice blinked.

"Well, as long as there are Nazi supporters in the world and White supremacists…he'll slip back into Nazi Germany from time to time." Arthur stated. "But it's only happened once before…I have a feeling that you won't see it anytime soon."

Charice shivered, which was basically the only reaction that she could have. Suddenly, the ground shook underneath their feet.

"Um…_**WHAT'S GOING ON?"**_

Before they knew it, the floor was opening up below them. Green smoke started to shoot up underneath the cracks as a figure appeared from a moving platform. It was then that they saw who the person was: Nazi!Germany, in tight black leather and an open jacket revealing a metal cross necklace.

"Did someone call me?" He chirped.

_Oh. My. God._ Charice shivered.

**[This will be the only documented time that you see Rizal Pacquiao have a nosebleed.]**

"…maybe?" Charice finally spat out. "Hi?"

"Please, you're not even good enough to state a simple hi to me." He grinned. "No one's ready to say hi to me! Cause I am the force that will come again to take over the world!"

"That's…good to hear, since you told us beforehand…" Rizal said while holding back a nosebleed.

"That's right…_**be prepared!"**_

Suddenly, the music kicked in. Feliciano, Kiku and Gilbert jumped in as well as the song "Be Prepared" suddenly played in the background. Before they knew it, mountains were shooting up from the ground and smoke and lava shot up with them. Once it stopped, Rizal finally noticed that his nosebleed is done. He lowered his hand.

"…so this is where taxpayer money goes to…"

**/=+=/**

…**yeah…**


	25. How Being Naive At Sixteen SUCKS

**I've been focusing on Charice for quite some time. Maybe I should give Rizal some more screen time, don't you think? Yeah...that's a good idea.**

**/=+=/**

"Ah…you're fun to drink with, Prussia…"

"I agree with you, Frenchie…"

"Haha…you two are funny."

Rizal stared at the Bad Friends Trio as they lagged around through the hallway of the hotel holding nothing but bottles of alcohol without even thinking about where they were going. He blinked at just how drunk they were _(they were twenty three, last time he checked)_ and couldn't help but shiver.

"Ah…look, look, look…it's a cute little colony…"

"I'm not a colony, Spain." He spat. "And I'm definitely not yours."

"He has spunk! _**I like it…"**_

_What the heck is wrong with him?_ Rizal shivered.

"So then…" France waddled toward him. "How are those vital regions of yours…?"

"My…what?"

"_**Your vitals…the most important region of your body…"**_ Spain whispered.

"In case you're wondering, my vital regions are fine without you." Rizal shooed him away. "Why the hell are you asking?"

"Great…great great great…I need someone with uninvaded vitals…" Prussia staggered toward him. "I need you…to…to to…deliver something to mein bruder…"

"…what is it…?"

Rizal gave in as he took a bottle from the men and pocketed it, walking away as fast as he could. The three of them started snickering at the innocence of the young man as they staggered toward their hotel rooms. Rizal on the other hand wondered why in the world they were talking about his heart's condition. _The heart is vital, right?_

**/=+=/**

"Hey, Germany."

"Hm? Oh, Rizal." He lowered his papers. "What's wrong this time? Did Charice do something again?"

"No, this is more like your brother. He wanted me to give something to you."

Germany stared at him as Rizal pulled out what looked like a bottle from his bag. He didn't pull out a logo, so Germany had no idea what the heck Gilbert was giving him this time. For all he knew, it was probably a bottle of beer or something and Rizal didn't know. He was only sixteen, after all.

"What is that?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen it before, so I figured that it was probably just German hair gel." He pulled it out. "Just in case you actually asked for it."

The tag on it read "Lube".

…

"Germany? _**Germany?"**_

**/=+=/**

**Hey, he may be protective and extremely blunt…but he's on the naïve side of sixteen :D**


	26. The Physics of Aging Nations

**God bless the Filipino siblings~! Cause thinking too hard will hurt everyone! Especially me…since I made this chapter!**

**/=+=/**

"I think this is the coolest thing that we have as nations!"

"Yeah, what's that?" Rizal looked up.

"Think about it: we're nations, older than any human being on this planet, and we look like we should be in high school!"

That is a bit of an advantage. Rizal stared at himself in the mirror, looking at the sixteen-year-old person that was his face. It was strange that despite the fact that they were the same country, she was two years his superior. Come to think of it, how old are the other nations…physically?

"Hey, Rizal? Do you wonder how old the other nations are?"

"You could always look in a history book." He answered.

"No, no, no…I mean physically, like us! Some of them look so much younger than us, and yet they were existent so much longer than we were!" Charice stated. "Do you think they'll be able to tell us that?"

"Um…if they know their physical age."

"Well, let's ask around then!"

**/=+=/**

"Ve~? W-what do you mean by age?"

"Physical age." Charice stated. "Like, how old you look. Like how I look eighteen even though I'm so much older than that!"

"Ve~~~I remember fratello telling me this once…" He rubbed his chin. "Hold on…I need to remember…"

"What the hell are you asking now, crazy Fili-chick?"

"Oh, Lovi-chan! Just in time! I was asking Feli-chan his physical age!"

"His WHAT?"

"Like, what's his body's age? I'm eighteen, for example! How old are you?"

"Che. I'm twenty-three, of course." He bragged.

"…but you look _**twenty."**_

"Ve~~~I remember now…I'm twenty."

"…you're _**WHAT?"**_

"I-I'm twenty, Charice."

"…wow. Who would've known?"

**/=+=/**

"Hm…so you and your sister are wondering about countries' physical ages?"

"Yeah. We were wondering that since everyone kind of looks the same age. I'm sixteen, for example."

"Ahahaha! Charice was always so curious about everything! Ah, dear Rizal…I am twenty-five."

"Twenty-five? That's young, Spain."

"Ce que…aren't you curious about my age, Rizal?"

"Get at least five meters away from me and then I'll attempt to ask you."

"Five meters? Did someone call for the awesome me?"

"_**NO ONE CALLED FOR YOU, PRUSSIA.**_ Leave me alone."

"Dude, haven't you been taught to listen to your awesome superiors? And last time I checked, I am so much older than you!"

"You're technically nonexistent. Your age doesn't matter."

"WHAT DID-"

"Let him go, Prussia. If you're still curious, I am twenty-six."

"…and yet you have the attention span of a gnat and the hormones of bunnies."

**/=+=/**

"Eh? Physical ages?"

"Like, how old do you look to other people? I look eighteen to you, first of all. How old do you think you look, America?"

"Oh, that's easy! I figured that out a long time ago. I'm nineteen!"

"Nineteen? Wow, that's interesting. I always thought you'd be a little older…"

"Eh? Why's that?"

"I…really don't know. But I always thought you'd be older."

"What are you two talking about over he-"

"_**AUUUGGGHHH IT'S A GERMAN AMERICA SAVE MEEEE!"**_

"Geez, is it the phobia again…? Relax, Charice…it's the twenty-first century! We were talking about physical ages!"

"…what?"

"Like how old we look! She looks eighteen, while I look nineteen! How old are you?"

"One hundred and forty years old."

"…"

"…"

"…what is it now?"

"OK, that makes no sense. He doesn't look a day over thirty."

"I know, right?"

"That's my actual age, America!"

"No, no, no…I mean your body's age! Like vampires look a certain age when they're turned? We're looking for that!"

"Oh…very well. I have the physical body of a twenty year old man. Does that satisfy you?"

"…"

"Charice?"

"Hey, what's up with you?"

"_**THAT MAKES NO SENSE WHATSOEVER! HOW ARE YOU OLDER THAN AMERICA IF AMERICA'S OLDER THAN YOU?"**_

"Yeah, how IS that?"

"I don't know! I don't make up the rules to aging!"

"Well, SOMEONE should!"

**/=+=/**

**The Federal Republic of Germany was founded in 1871 under the German confederation. Hence, comparing it to modern times makes his actual age at 140 years. On the other hand, the United States of America was founded in 1607 as a colony and became a country in 1776. Taking both these numbers into consideration, America is either 404 years old or 235 years old. And yet Germany is one year older than America?**

**The plot thickens…**


	27. How Magic Fail is FAIL

There was something extremely strange about what was going on during the World Meeting. First off, one of the seats was oddly vacant. Secondly, when it was filled up it was by a small boy holding a moving teddy bear in his arms. Charice stared at him for a few minutes before feeling Cute-Obsession taking over.

"Um…are you a new nation that I'm not aware of?"

"_N-no I'm not!"_ He whimpered in a cute voice. _"I'm Canada…!"_

"Cana-da?"

She stared at him for a few minutes before suddenly lifting him up on her lap and started to cuddle him excessively, making him extremely embarrassed by the massive amount of attention that this woman was giving him. Kumajiro made no move to try getting out of the way.

"Aww…you're so cute, Cananada~!"

"_I-It's Canada!"_

"Of course it is, Cananada!"

"_C-Canada!"_

"_**CANANADA."**_

_***CHARICE CUTE-OBSESSION / RAPE FACE***_

…

"Who are you?"

"…_Cananada…"_

**/=+=/**

"So…you use magic."

"Of course I do. I'm probably the only nation in the world that does any type of magic anymore!" Arthur stretched out his fingers. "That means that I'm the best magician in the world!"

"Um…do you know that most people connect magic with Satanism?"

"_**I'M NOT A SATAN WORSHIPER, BLOODY WANKER!"**_

"…but you're the wanker."

"**DON'T GET TECHNICAL ON ME!"**

Rizal shrugged as he found himself unconsciously following the British man down a staircase into a strange room filled with lit candles, a boiling pot and a pentagram drawing on the floor that was drawn in red. He stared at everything as Arthur pulled out his magical book.

"_Not a Satanist…"_ He muttered.

"Ahahaha…I hope you're ready to do this, Rizal."

"Are you going to use me as a sacrifice?"

"No, no, no! I have just uncovered a powerful spell that can finally get my revenge on Ludwig! It'll only work if I have someone close to him by my side." He pointed at Rizal. "And that will be you!"

"…why won't you use Feliciano?"

"I can't get close enough to ask! And I know how much he's scared of spells!"

_Ah. No wonder._

"Now follow my lead."

He had no idea why he was going along with this _(maybe because he had been told beforehand that his spells kinda fail on him __**ALL THE TIME)**_, but before he knew it Rizal stood across from Arthur as he started chanting something about summoning the devil. That was when Rizal got worried.

_What if he actually hurts Ludwig…?_ And yet he said he wasn't a Satanist…

"You called?"

Everyone stared at the summon in front of them. He couldn't believe it: Arthur had summoned Ivan's head. By the look on Arthur's face, this had happened before and yet somehow he was expecting to get another outcome. Ivan turned his head around and saw Rizal staring back at him.

"Ah…nice to see you again, da?"

"Yeah, I guess so." He knelt down to his level. "Doesn't that hurt you? Being in the ground like that?"

"Not really. It feels like I'm floating in water. You should try it sometime."

"Well, I would rather not be summoned like this and I have floated in water before, so I guess I already know. How are you, by the way?"

"I'm doing great. The snow hadn't come yet, so it's a relative nice environment in Russia. You should come visit sometime, da?"

"I guess…if I'm not busy."

"_**Will you stop having this conversation? I'm trying to cast a curse here!"**_

"Eh? Ah, why not?" Ivan turned his head. "What's the spell?"

"I need to cast a curse on Germany after what happened last week! And my grudge is more important than yours!"

"All right, then. I'll do it now, da?"

"Have fun with that, Ivan."

"Of course, Rizal. Nice to see you again."

Ivan sank into the ground as the glow vanished into thin air. Rizal couldn't help but think that he was actually pretty interesting.

"_**HOW THE BLOODY HELL CAN YOU TALK TO HIM THAT CASUALLY?"**_

"? I just…do."

Obviously, he had never seen a cracked!Russia before.

**/=+=/**

"Awww…I can't believe that I have to go to a meeting alone! Why did Iggy-kun have to drag kuya off somewhere? Even though the meeting is in England doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants with us. _Man, no wonder Al-kun seceded from him…"_

Charice sighed as she walked through the hallways with a skip. It didn't really matter, since Feli-chan was in the meeting as well and that meant she can sit next to him and talk about whatever! The only problem was that during the lunch break he and Ludwig were really dizzy and had to leave to go to the bathroom. _I wonder if it had something to do with the food?_

Five seconds later, she watched as Ludwig burst out of the nearest room and started panicking. He turned and saw Charice, then proceeded to grab her shoulders, making her scream in shock. But that wasn't the only thing that was going to freak her out.

"Vee~! Charice, help me! I don't know what's going on, but I can't find my body anywhere!"

…

"_**KUUUUUUYYYYAAAAAAAA!"**_


	28. How Foreigners Handle the Philippines

**We've been traveling for some time…let's let them travel to us! AHAHAHAHAHA- *gag* *cough***

**By the way…the Google Translate will be heavily abused here. So yeah, HELP ME.**

**/=+=/**

"Ve~~~it's so warm here…"

"Dude, I know what you mean…why doesn't this airport have _**air conditions?**__**"**_

"Quiet down, Alfred! You didn't have to come with us!"

"Aw come on…it's been over a couple decades since I visited the Philippines! I might as well visit the place again!"

Ludwig could only shake his head and sigh. Then again, Alfred was the only other person of their four person group _(consisting of him, Feliciano, Kiku, and Alfred)_ who knew what Manila looked like and spoke fluent Filipino, so at least he knew what was going on in the location. Sure enough, as they rocketed themselves through the relatively short crowd, they saw two waving figures and a huge white van behind them.

"_**Heeey!**_ Over here!"

"Ve~~~! There you are, sorella!" Feliciano chirped. "It's so hot in there…"

"No worries. We were cooling down the car while we were waiting for you." Rizal grinned. "Throw your stuff in the back. We're waiting for someone else."

"Eh? Someone else?" Kiku blinked.

"Kuya…you never told me that there was someone else-"

"_**DA ZE!"**_

One block from Ludwig later, Yong Soo cleaned out his hanbok and waved at the two of them, who could only wave back in response. He grinned before he lifted his single filled suitcase and two empty ones in the back of the van _(much to everyone's amusement)_. They all stared at the van once they were done.

"Um…" Ludwig blinked. "Are we…all supposed to sit in here?"

"Yeah, of course!" Charice grinned. "You all can fit in there! That's what we Filipinos are good at!"

"Ve~~~we won't suffocate?"

"Once we empty the van back at our house, you'll be fine. _**NOW GET IN THE VAN."**_

**/=+=/**

"_This is…very awkward…"_

"You'll be fine, Kiku! Last time I checked, the house isn't that far from here!"

"_I-I guess that- __**OH GEEZ!"**_

"Your boobs belong to ME, da ze!"

"_Yong Soo!"_

"Don't make me go back there!"

"Charice, you're driving. Please calm down."

Through all the mass chaos in the van, Ludwig couldn't help but notice the traffic outside the window. The two-lane highway was suddenly turned into a four-lane road, and even then there were bicyclists in the middle of the area like it was nothing. In fact, he turned his head and saw two people handshaking in two different cars…_**with lag in their arms!**_

The van moved out of massive traffic into a clear road with nothing more than houses and the occasional home business or two. Before they knew it, the van pulled into a small house with a large gate and wall. Charice and Rizal walked out of the car before Rizal pulled open the door.

"Brace yourselves."

He pulled out Kiku, and everyone else came tumbling afterwards. At that moment, Charice was already pulling out a bit of the luggage.

"Get your luggage. After that, I'll show you your rooms."

Everyone followed Rizal as they walked into the one-floor house. The living room looked fancy with wooden furniture and a 90's TV that was connected to the dining room and four rooms as well as a small kitchen. Ludwig blinked at just how small the place was. Then again, it only housed two people…

"The bedrooms are all that way. Charice and I are sharing that one over there, but other than that you're free to share a room with whoever you want. The bathroom is in that bedroom over there. The showerhead doesn't work, so you'll have to use the tabo if you're taking a bath."

"A…what?" Feliciano blinked.

"You know…take the smaller bucket, fill it with water, and…" He pantomimed throwing water over his head. "That's your bath."

"Aw…that sucks, da ze…"

"That's what you have, sorry." He shrugged. "Just choose your rooms."

Ludwig didn't have to think that hard into it: he was going to at least try to get a room of his own. He walked into the small room and immediately knew it was Rizal's: the walls were blue and the bed was really simple. Yet it was the map of Germany on the wall that surprised him just a little.

A light knock echoed on the doorway, and he turned his head to see that Feliciano was standing in front of the door with a light smile and was swaying back and forth. He obviously was getting kawaii lessons from Elizabeta or something like that.

"Ve~~~is it OK if I share a room with you?" He asked cutely.

"…sure…"

Feliciano ve~ed cutely and swayed back and forth…which meant that he was going to be tackle-glomped by Charice a few seconds later if she had actually seen it.

And she did.

"Charice, get off him." Rizal lifted her up. "And Ludwig, you should get into some walking clothes."

"Eh? Why?"

"We figured that we might as well show you the Filipino version of the supermall." He smiled. "It's air conditioned, so you don't have to worry about it being warm."

"Um…where are we going?"

"Well…" Charice grinned. "SM, of course!"

**/=+=/**

The minute they parked, they were surprised to see that a lot of people were pouring into the building like something was happening. Feliciano stared in surprise as he clung onto Charice to make sure that he wouldn't get lost. Ludwig sighed as he walked toward the door and saw…

"Are those…security guards?"

"Yes, they are." Rizal answered.

"…why are they holding rifles?"

"Security reasons. We all have to go through there, but they're really nice, so don't worry."

Feliciano ve~ed cutely before letting Charice go and going through the security. Ludwig was surprised: it was only a simple pat down and they were in. Once they did get in, Alfred marveled at the fact that there was air conditioning. Kiku stared at all the clothing stores around them.

"This place looks thoroughly packed…" He remarked.

"Ve~~we should buy new clothes!"

"Watch that. The XXL here is like a M or L back in America!"

So no clothes for Ludwig…

"Wait…is that…is that…?"

Yes indeed. Kiku and Yong Soo have indeed found a small otaku store just for them. They started flailing into the store and looked at the items that were purely Japanese exports: Japanese CDs, anime toys and cosplay outfits…it was their heaven. Rizal couldn't help but laugh at just their fascination.

"This is so cool, da ze!"

"You come here all the time. I'm surprised that _you're_ surprised." Rizal laughed.

"Yeah, but I never saw this store before da ze!"

"…wow…and why are you surprised, Kiku? You practically _**made**_ half of this stuff."

"…it's a drama CD…my god, it's a drama CD that I thought was long since stopped…my goodness…"

"…I'm guessing we're buying then. Pwede mo po ba ako tulungan dito?"

**/=+=/**

After that small incident, they decided that they might as well go eat. So they were brought to the food court and _(to Alfred's delight)_ there was a McDonalds ripe for the buying. He stole Charice's wallet before dashing into the line, forcing the others to go to the line next to it.

"Um…sorella? Wh-what's with the bee?"

"Eh? Oh, that's the mascot! This is Jollibee, the Filipino McDonalds! It's basically the same, only they have rice instead of fries and serve them with gravy."

"Ve~~~I want Jollibee!"

"I want to try this." Kiku said. "That one, over there."

Everyone ordered and found a table big enough to house all of them. They took a bite out of the Jollibee food and…well, to their surprise, they actually liked it. Rizal couldn't help but laugh as Yong Soo heavily abused the gravy that Kiku didn't want to use. Alfred came to the table and stared at the food in front of him.

"What's wrong with you?" Ludwig asked.

"T-this is…this is a medium…"

"Why didn't you order Extra-Large, then?" Rizal asked.

"_**I DID!"**_

Oh.

"Aw…Feli-chan, you got gravy on your cheek!"

"Ve~~~I got it-" He blinked. "W-where's the napkin?"

"Oh yeah…you have to pay for napkins." Rizal grinned. "Don't worry. Charice smuggled a whole bunch of them the last time we were in America."

"Ve~~~thank you."

**/= [30 MINUTES LATER…] =/**

"Ve~~~I'm hungry…"

"Are you serious? We had lunch just a few minutes ago!"

"Actually, I'm hungry too!" Charice chirped. "Let's go here then! Goldilocks!"

Ludwig stared at the store that apparently materialized out of nowhere. He walked in and thought that it reminded him of a bakery: there were cakes and pastries all over the shelves. Walking to the counters, however, made him realize that it was a complete menu. _That is surprising…_

"Paki kuha mo ako ng order number 22!"

"Paanomo mo 'to gusto?"

"Pinakamalaki!"

The woman stared at him before deeming him American and proceeding with the orders. After a few minutes, they got their trays and walked down to the tables to eat. Feliciano was happy that they had pasta for once, and when he tasted it, he yelped in shock.

"Ve~~~the pasta is sweet!"

"Exactly! The specialty, of course!" Charice winked as she ate her food. "Ah, Goldilocks…how I missed you…"

"I think I have a Goldilocks…" Alfred grinned. "In California!"

"Been there. Love this place better." She ate again.

"Hm…"

"Something wrong, Kiku?"

"It's just that…eating with a fork is still…hard for me." He answered.

"You'll get used to it." Charice smiled.

**/= [30 MINUTES AFTERWARDS] =/**

"Auuuggghh…I'm so hungry, da ze!"

"We just ate twice in the same hour, Yong Soo! Suck it up!" Ludwig sighed.

"Hey, there's a Chowking up ahead." Rizal turned to them. "Anyone up for ramen?"

Ludwig could only facepalm as everyone flung themselves into the restaurant that is supposedly Kiku's heaven. The menu was above their heads _(a nice change)_ and all of them were either ramen dishes or…whatever that was. He couldn't translate it, so he aimed for the ramen bowls. Odd enough, when he got them, they were served with a Chinese soup spoon and chopsticks. Again, Kiku was happy.

"This is good…" He smiled. "I like this place."

"Indeed, indeed. Heck, we live next to each other, we get some of the good ingredients." Charice winked. "Especially this: Crispy Noodles. They don't even have to cook them!"

"Ve~~~that looks tasty, Charice…"

"It is!" She grinned. "All the vegetables in it are fresh, so they taste a lot better!"

"Quality is awesome…" Alfred marveled at the taste. "Hey, bro. You eating?"

"…give me a minute…"

"Dude, don't tell me you're full! We only hit two restaurants!"

_Exactly._ He just didn't get it.

**/= [AN HOUR AFTERWARDS…] =/**

"Ve~~~"

"God, don't tell me you're hungry again!"

"No…is that a supermarket?"

"Yep, that's a supermarket!" Charice chirped. "And they have a department store a little further in the building!"

"My god…people can live off this place…" Ludwig blinked.

"A lot of people believe that, but we're a lot closer than you think." Charice grinned. "Actually, we should get some groceries for dinner!"

"That's…a good idea." Rizal smiled. "Come on."

Everyone followed suit, surprised to see that there was a purse-holding section that offers to watch over your stuff while you shop for groceries. What amused a lot of them was that there were mini-carts next to the actual carts for kids who want to push carts. Feliciano couldn't help but think it was cute.

"The shelves are big, da ze…" Yong Soo blinked.

"Yeah…wait, you haven't been in this supermarket even though you've been here before?"

"…no…da ze…"

Wow.

Ludwig watched as the rest of them started abusing on what to buy: pasta, vegetables, shampoo, Pocky, Advil…wait, what? He stared as everyone started throwing what they want into the carts with smiles on their faces. You would've thought that they would have more interesting markets back at their continents…

The lines weren't any better. They were long, but everyone was patient enough to wait…except for Alfred. He spun in circles before coming back with his own cart of stuff before Charice hit the register. Then again, they had the money and hence they were done without money issues.

"Ve~~~I'm hungry…"

"_**WHAT THE HELL, FELICIANO!"**_

**/=+=/**

They had quickly returned home after eating out _(for the fifth time…he counted)_ as Charice and Feliciano made their dinner. He could hear Kiku and Yong Soo chirping about the dramas that were online while Alfred was happy that the cable in the house was airing their football games.

But other than that…it was quiet.

He looked out the closed gate and saw a few kids playing in the road as twilight started to rain over the skies. He couldn't help but smile at the simplicity of it all: the fact that there were still children that weren't born with a computer at their fingertips and just wanted to go out and play for once.

"Reminds you of the good old days, huh?"

He looked up and saw Rizal as he took a seat at the next bench and stared at the kids playing in the quiet road before they ran to an ice cream truck and were called in by their mothers as the mothers themselves got into a long conversation that Ludwig couldn't quite translate.

"Hey, the Philippines may be a little poor…but we live simple lives and we're not complaining." Rizal smiled. "You're smiling."

"I don't know why…but looking at them now, I can't help but feel at ease." He turned to Rizal. "Not to bring up bad memories, but this used to be a land that many nations took by force…and yet for the most part, the children don't live in fear of them anymore."

"…it's the twenty-first century." Rizal sighed. "We're no longer separated by national borders. We're all now part of the Earth: helping each other."

Ludwig couldn't help but notice his tone of voice: it sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that fact. Before he knew it, Charice knocked on the door to get their attention.

"Did I break up a man-to-man talk? Dinner's ready."

"We'll be there." Rizal smiled as he watched Charice leave. "By the way, each one of the bedrooms have an air conditioning system. For good measure, you should turn them off before you go to sleep."

**/=+=/**

Feliciano was already in his PJs _(well, full-dressed PJs since the room was a little cool for him to go nude)_ when Ludwig came in for the night. He was snuggling in the only bed they had and was now waiting for Ludwig to climb in after him. He sighed before forcing himself to do so, but not before turning off the air conditioner like Rizal said. It's not like they haven't done this before…

"Ve~~~the Philippines are so interesting…"

"Every country has their own interesting characteristics about them." Ludwig stated. "We just have the pleasure of having all the time in the world to find all of that out."

"That's true…I'm glad that Charice and Rizal allowed us to stay in their home like this."

"It's homage to their Catholic faith." He said. "Aren't you tired?"

"Ve~~~I'm too busy thinking about what happened today!"

"You'll have the pleasures of doing that again tomorrow. Now get some sleep."

**/=+=/**

"_**GOD, IT'S SO COLD IN THERE!"**_

That scream woke Ludwig up, quickly introducing him to the cold. It was then that he realized that someone had turned on the AC while they were asleep and now the room was colder than America during the wintertime. From outside, he could hear Alfred slamming his door opening and raveling in the warmth of the rest of the house.

"_Ve~~~w-why is it cold?"_

"Someone left the AC on." Ludwig sighed. "I'll turn it off-"

"_Ve~~~then I'll be cold!"_

"It'll only be for a few seconds-"

"_Nooo I don't want to be cold."_

He clung onto Ludwig for body warmth, forcing the German to stay. He felt something inside him skip a beat as his hands reached out and wrapped themselves around his waist and head, feeling the cold on his skin quickly melt away. The shivering then stopped, replaced by a warm _"ve"_ and a snuggle. Ludwig could only sigh…but felt unable to move.

**/= [TRANSLATIONS] =/**

"_**Pwede mo po ba ako tulungan dito**__**?**__**"**_** – **_Can you please help me here?_

**_"Pakikuha mo ako ng order number 22!"_** – _Please get me order number 22!_

_"**Paano mo 'to gusto****?****"**_ – _How would you like it?_

_"**Pinakamalaki!****"**_ – _The biggest!_

**/=+=/**

**All these incidences mentioned are all based off things that have happened to me. Just so you know.**


	29. Why Horror Films are Never Good Ideas

**So…what's going to happen this time? Time will only tell.**

**/=+=/**

"So…this is your apartment."

"Yes indeed! You gotta love American apartments!"

"That…doesn't mean starting sleepovers, Alfred."

Seriously, Rizal had no idea what was going on. It was weird for Alfred to suddenly invite people to stay over at his house for the night. Nevermind the fact that the house was pretty big, but the fact that ever since Feliciano took it up Charice jumped on as well. Of course, that meant that poor Rizal had to come along, and then again so did Ludwig.

Apparently, that made everything better for him.

Somehow.

"Thanks for coming over, guys." Alfred grinned. "I got a cool new HD TV and I wanted to show it off!"

_Oh…great._

"Oh, that's awesome, cause I brought this movie a few days ago and I wanted to watch it!" Charice chirped. "Who's up for some popcorn~!"

"_**I AM, I AM!"**_

"Then follow me, Italy, for I will make you the perfect popcorn!"

Alfred dragged both Feliciano and Charice into the kitchen, leaving Rizal alone to whine to himself for a few minutes about just how this was a completely bad idea. He turned around and was just about to leave when he ran into something that he could've sworn was the wall. But…it was too green to be Alfred's wall.

_Oh…right, Ludwig._

_Wait…am I alone with him?_

For the first time in his life, he got some form of German-phobia running through his veins _(DAMMIT Charice can you taint him anymore?) _as his mind literally cleared itself of any form of thinking and for some reason ended up going into massive hysteria. Ludwig, however, only saw the face of a startled sixteen-year-old with his hands up to his side like he had bumped into a gang or something.

"Sorry." He finally stated.

"It's fine." Ludwig answered. "I didn't see you."

"…me neither." Rizal answered back, quickly lowering his arms. "You didn't want popcorn?"

"No. I can't handle any of their insanity."

"…eheh. At least you don't have to live with them."

"You obviously don't know anything about mein bruder."

"…oh. Right. Gilbert." Rizal blinked. "How can you handle all this?"

"Hm?"

"You know…handle all this insanity?"

"Because a few of them are actually sane."

"Like who?"

"You."

Rizal immediately found his cheeks burning _(hopefully, there was no blush)_ before he heard a loud popping noise behind them. After the popping stopped, they saw as the three of them walk out with huge tubs of popcorn. For some reason, he found himself scoffing at their appearance. But why though…?

"So bring us to the room, Al-kun!"

"Right! Follow me!"

**/=+=/**

The room was actually bigger than he thought, sporting an HD stereo and a flat screen TV that he'd never seen before. He sank on the couch and almost fell asleep _(that was how soft it was)_. He felt it shift and saw everyone plop next to him for the movie. Charice chirped as she sought the DVD for the main event.

"What's the movie?"

"Um…The Ring. I forgot what it was about, though."

"Sounds like a chick flick! Put it in and turn out the lights!"

Rizal watched as his sister chirped as she did just that with a single skip. He turned his head and was about to rant _(heck, Alfred can handle a rant, right?)_ when he realized that Ludwig was sitting next to him, mainly because Feliciano was sitting on the other side. Again, he felt his muscles twitch. Fortunately the movie was starting, and he can concentrate on that.

The movie started off pretty natural. There were two teenage girls _(wow, they're sooo dead)_ talking about a cursed videotape and how one of them watched it seven days before. A few minutes later, that same girl was dead and the other one had been sent to the hospital.

…was that Alfred screaming?

The movie kept going on, and it was then concluded that the movie was a horror film based off of a Japanese horror film…which meant that Charice was screaming a few minutes later. What's worse was that both Alfred and Feliciano were screaming with terror as well. Before he knew it, all Rizal could hear was screaming. The movie was suddenly a silent film.

"…so how are you, Ludwig?"

"…I can be better. You?"

For some reason, Rizal couldn't respond to that question…mainly because he doesn't know how he is. Before he knew it, Feliciano clung onto his waist screaming and sobbing in fear. What was worse was that Alfred then clung onto his neck and Charice clung onto his legs. By the time twenty minutes passed by, Ludwig finally realized that the three of them had suffocated the poor boy.

**/=+=/**

**Wow…I'm writing a lot of Rizal-centric chapters. Oh yeah, by the way, if anyone wants a GerRiz one-shot, just vote on it here or in any of my other fics in a review. If you don't want to do that, just PM me a random idea. Cause there's a good chance that I'll never touch it otherwise **_**(GerIta for the win, of course)**_**.**


	30. The Appearance of Liara

**You know what? I was reading "Children of the Nations" on the Hetalian Archive and finally remembered that I technically had a child of the nation as well. Heck, she and the siblings never met!**

**/=+=/**

Their meeting was going to be held in America. No one minded, since everyone spoke English and it was an extremely diverse country and hence no one felt out of place. However, when they went to the meeting hall Charice couldn't help but notice that there was a girl there in the meeting hall talking casually to Elizabeta. She had long red hair in a dark brown ribbon and somewhat fair skin _(there was some form of pigment there)_, dressed in a yellow American school uniform. The girl turned away and stared at Charice.

"You're a nation, aren't you?"

"Yes…" She tilted her head. "And you are…?"

"Oh…I'm not a nation, sorry." She lifted her hand. "My name is Liara Cosgrove. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Charice, the Outer Islands of the Republic of the Philippines. The boy behind me is my brother Rizal, the Inner Isles."

"Nice to meet the both of you." Liara grinned.

"Hey, um…not to be mean, but…" Rizal blinked. "If you're not a nation…then how are you related to any of this…?"

"Oh, right…um…" Liara looked away. "I'm…I'm England's daughter."

"…oh my god." Charice started cackling. "Who's the father, Alfred?"

_***facepalm***_

"Um…my father _**is**_ England."

"…what?"

"Yeah…my father is England."

"But…you have an American accent…"

"My mother was American. They had a run-in a long time ago, and…apparently had me."

Charice stared at her with a blank look on her face before storming off into the building. Rizal stared at her leaving for a few minutes before walking up to Liara. From her appearance, she would have to be from a high school _(and the uniform clearly states that she was from a private school…must've been from Arthur's funding)_. She really was young.

"How did he find you, anyway?" Rizal asked. "I would like to assume that Arthur isolated himself from your mother because she was human."

"Well, first I bumped into America in a McDonalds. He kept ranting to me for some reason before getting drunk on something _(I don't know on what)_ before I had to bring him to my house." Liara shrugged. "He kept visiting me for a while before he started dragging the rest of them to visit."

"Huh…" Rizal blinked. "Who told you about…well…us?"

"Actually, I overheard it between England and Germany in one of the guest rooms. I figured it was just a rub-in on their ethnicity, but after a while Veneziano accidentally blurted it out to me because he heard from Romano that someone told me anyway."

"That's Feliciano."

"Yeah…well, everyone took the news lightly _(I guess)_ and…well, here I am."

"Here you are."

Before they knew it, Charice started screaming to someone. They turned their heads to see that she had found Elizabeta and was now screaming at her about something incomprehensible. Rizal had no idea what she was saying until this happened.

"What's wrong, Charice?"

"…_**ARTHUR'S STRAIGHT! **__**ARTHUR'S STRAIGHT!**__**"**_

"**WHAT? **_**NO!**__**"**_

It was then that the both of them started screaming for no reason other than the fact that their shipping has now been made inaccurate. Meanwhile, all Liara could do was laugh.

**/=+=/**

**Yeah…she's back.**


	31. Where the Character Songs Come From

**And as of right now, I got this idea from all the soundtracks that I've been listening too. Randomness is sure to follow.**

**/=+=/**

Charice loved jumping into Feliciano's house whenever the heck she wanted to. In fact, it happened so happened that Feli-chan had basically left the door open for her. Nonetheless, she just chirped and trotted openly through the door, waiting for Feli-chan to greet her. Odd enough, she saw none of the sort.

"Feli-chan? _**Feli-chan?"**_ She turned her head around. "Huh…maybe he forgot I was here."

She walked around for a few minutes before hearing singing from the kitchen. Confused, she turned around toward the location and saw a strange sight: Italy Romano cooking up something, drinking a bottle of wine _(what the hell?)_ and chopping a few tomatoes. Five minutes later, he was lifting the tomato up in the air and started singing something…about tomatoes.

…_what…the…hell…just happened?_

As she watched silently, she watched in surprise as Francis suddenly appeared out of nowhere from the window and started hunting Lovino down, scaring the crap out of him and made him scream in frequencies that she thought could never be achieved without a swift grab of the vital regions. Before she knew it, she grabbed her cell phone and began recording all of this.

_Cause nothing is more awesome than blackmailing Italians~_

**/=+=/**

There was really nothing more he could pull out from the fact that both of them was asked to be in the next world meeting other than the fact that the meeting was in Germany and she wanted a substitute in case her random German-phobia just happened to take effect. Rizal really didn't have any complaint about it as he walked through the hallways and stared out into the view of Berlin. Compared to America, the outside looked more like a walk through a museum: such a beautiful collage of buildings that hid such tragic pasts and yet shining futures…

"Oh my god _**GERMAAAAAAANS!**__**"**_

Rizal could only sigh as he watched a little line of what looked like Charice running through the halls while sinking deeper and deeper into her phobia. Sure, she was justified on why she had the fear _(heck, there were a lot of things Germany's leaders have probably done to her)_, but still…could she be a little less flashy?

"Dammit…I'll have to apologize to Ludwig again."

He started muttering in the best Germany his Filipino tongue can muster as he headed toward the beginning of the path to find Ludwig. Sure enough, his ears heard a familiar sigh echo from one of the rooms. He turned his head and couldn't help but see the German he sought out shaking his head and turning away from the door.

_What's going on…?_ Rizal blinked. _He looks hurt. Don't tell me that-_

Before he knew it, he heard low singing coming out of the room. Rizal's heart flipped at just how sad he sounded, while his actions looked like he was just cleaning up his office. He panicked and leaned against the wall next to the doorway, feeling the words sink deep into him. How, though, when he had no idea what he was saying? However, there was one word that caught him steadfast.

Einsamkeit.

**Loneliness.**

For some reason, that struck him hard. Why did he sing of loneliness? Wasn't he always with Feliciano? Wasn't he living with Gilbert or something? He had friends. People trust him. And yet he's singing as if he was alone? Sure, maybe the rest of the song is him saying that he's not alone, but…he sounded so sad. Before he knew it, he slid down to the ground and held his head.

"_Ikaw ang__nag-iisa__…__Du bist__nicht allein__..."_

_**You're not alone...**_

It was oddly confirmed. He held his forehead and felt his heart throb fully at the pain of his words. There was no way to deny any of this now.

He was madly _(and oddly)_ in love with Ludwig.

But Ludwig was _(maybe)_ in love with Feliciano.

Hell, _**everybody**_ is in love with Ludwig being in love with Feliciano.

And there's a good chance that Feliciano shared those feelings.

He never stood a chance…

The song continued on to the very end before Ludwig went on with his lonely work, unaware of the Filipino boy crying for him just outside his doorway.

**/=+=/**

"OK then~! One of these days, I'm going to be in one of these random songs these guys keep breaking out of!"

Charice chirped as she charged through the meeting hall's alleyways toward the actual room. There were rumors that there was something odd going on in there, and she knew that meant **MUSIC**, music _**that she wanted to be a part of.**_ She ran as hard as she could until she saw the door and threw it open, ready to break into song.

Instead, she was greeted with the image of a random bonfire in the middle of the room that was oddly darkened. All the nations were shirtless _(some have stripped nude…guess who that may be)_ and dancing around it, holding ukuleles and trying their best to put on hula skirts while Kiku was playing on those large drums of his. A faint smell of alcohol corrupted her nose.

…

"_**KUUUUUUYYYYYAAAAAAAA!"**_

**/=+=/**

**And that is why the Filipino twins are not in the finale of the Hetalia Movie~ :D**

**By the way, the songs used are "The Delicious Tomato Song", "Einsamkeit", and "WA! WA! World Meeting!". Check them out if you have no idea what I'm talking about.**


	32. Charice's Cowlicks

**That's right…Charice has a cowlick…two of them, actually. **

**/=+=/**

"Ve…"

"What's wrong, Feli-chan?"

"I never noticed this, but…you have cowlicks, Charice."

"Eh? These two?" She pointed to the ones on top of her head _(quite literally)_. "Well, it's just hair…I don't think it has effects like your hair does…"

"Wow…but I never saw hair right above the head…"

"Eh? Someone said cowlick?"

The both of them turned their heads to see Gilbert walking toward them with interest in his eyes the minute someone said "cowlick". Feliciano just pointed at the one over Charice's head, and he stared at it with the upmost fascination, scaring the both of them.

"W-what are you doing…? Get away from me…!"

_***yank***_

"_**OW!**_ Son of a bitch!"

"Eh? It doesn't do anything!"

"Oh, I'm going to do something to you! _**GET BACK HERE, YOU WHORE!"**_

Feliciano was then stuck watching Charice grabbing a chair and chasing Gilbert through the meeting hall, swinging it around so much that all the other nations had to duck out of the way. After a few minutes of ducking, Rizal headed toward him with confusion.

"Um…what happened?"

"Ve~~~Gilbert yanked one of Charice's cowlicks!"

"Ulp-!" He froze. "…which one?"

"The longer one."

"Oh…thank god." Rizal sighed. "That doesn't do anything yet."

"Ve~~~what does the smaller one do…?"

"Oh, the smaller one does something?"

"_**GILBERT GET THE **__**HELL**__** AWAY FROM ME!"**_

Nonetheless, does Gilbert ever listen? He jumped over a swinging chair and yanked Charice's smaller cowlick, ducking to see what was going to happen. She didn't start screaming out of rage, but instead looked as if nothing was happening. After a few minutes, she turned and stared at Feliciano.

"…"

"…ve?"

"_**FELI-CHAAAAAAN!"**_

"_**VEEEEEEE~~~! RIZAL, HELP MEEEEEEEE!"**_

Rizal could only sigh as he watched Charice chase the poor Italian around the room, hearing Ludwig walk into the room and stare at the mess that Gilbert had started.

"What happened?"

"Gilbert yanked one of her cowlicks."

"…and what does that do…?"

"It automatically activates her Cute-Obsession mode."

"…I'm going to stop this…"

"T-that isn't smart, Ludwig-!"

"She still has her German-phobia, right? I can stop her."

"Um, actually…"

He stepped between Feliciano and Charice, until she bumped right into his chest. She stared at him for a few minutes before she tackle-glomped him into the ground, refusing to let him stand. Rizal stared at them for a few minutes before sighing.

"_I told you…"_

**/=+=/**

**So yeah…her smaller cowlick activates her Cute-Obsession mode. Remember that.**


	33. Why Nations and Alcohol Equal CHAOS

**Um…yeah, sorry about this…I had to…it's a continuation of Chapter 31, if someone's curious.**

**/=+=/**

Charice knew that this meeting was doomed from the get-go. First of all, it was in Germany. Way to go, hot shot. Secondly, she had just walked into a meeting hall filled with drunkards that were singing around a random bonfire. She didn't want to be in the room once Ludwig comes in and realizes that there was a fire and all the sprinklers were taken down.

_This…this isn't going to be good…_

She backed out of the room and accidentally bumped into someone. She turned around and saw that it was only her brother, looking oddly depressed. Nonetheless, she couldn't remark on it because a drunk Gilbert was stumbling toward them, but then he was stumbling to a rather depressed Ludwig.

_Geez, what happened between the both of them?_

"Heeey, Weessst..." He chirped. "You waaannnt a drriiinnnkkk?"

"…bruder…why aren't the sprinklers working?"

"Because we wannteedd the _**fiirrrreee…"**_ He grinned. "Beer's still cold…"

Before they knew it, Ludwig got the beer keg and chugged it to everyone else's chanting. The two of them looked at each other and instantly knew the problem: in Germany, they're both legally able to drink. And they don't want to drink. They took a deep breath and quickly turned around to leave.

_***SLAM!***_

"Where are you going...? The party just got _starrtteeed…"_

"Oh…uh…Feli-chan…" She blinked. "Um…w-we were just going to meet up with someone-"

"No no no…stay with us…"

"Um…" Rizal blinked. "T-this really isn't a good time-"

"_**Stay with us…stay with us…stay with us…"**_

Rizal and Charice turned to each other and then saw Antonio walking toward them with a rather creepy look in his eye. After a few seconds, they shot back to their seats and refused to make eye contact with any of them. Even then, they barely tried to look at each other.

"_My god…there's a psycho!Italy…"_

"_Yeah…psycho!Italy…only comes when he's drunk."_

"_Warning is taken and stored away…"_

They both sighed before realizing that there was an added voice to the madness…and yes, it was Ludwig. Rizal took a deep breath and tried his best not to look up to anyone while Charice tried to judge just how drunk everyone was. The Bad Friends Trio _(whatever else they were called)_ were perhaps the most drunk of all, Kiku being a quick second. After that, Ludwig started ranting off rage toward everything, breaking more chairs that he'll mostly have to fix while blaming Gilbert for everything.

"…_this is getting crazy."_

"_We can't leave, can we?"_

"_No…psycho!Italy is still blockin' the door."_

"_We are so screwed…"_

It was getting weirder and weirder by the minute, with the bonfire getting bigger and bigger until a drunk Yao Wang and an even drunker Alfred tried to stop it…which ended up with Rizal getting the fire extinguisher and stopping it himself. And even then everyone was laughing like nutjobs.

"Wait wait wait wait _**wait!"**_ Kiku darted to his seat. This won't be good. "I got a game, I got a game!"

"_**Suh-WEEET!"**_ Alfred stumbled over. "Wh-wh-what is ittt?"

"KING'S GAME!"

Rizal cursed about a thousand different times in about as many languages that he knew as the whole room screamed in agreement and a strange argument erupted about getting sticks or something that might have numbers or whatever the hell might work. Charice turned her head.

"_W-what's this King's Game?"_

"_It's a drinking game…I remember seeing some of the Japanese militia play this game when I was captured…"_ Rizal sighed. _"Basically, everyone draws straws and whoever gets a certain mark is the 'king', while everyone else has numbers on it. After the king is determined, he says a number and tells them what to do…"_

"_Um…what's the catch?"_

"…_no one knows the number until the order's given."_

"_Fan-bloody-tastic."_

Charice sighed as a rather drunk and _**chirpy**_ Yong Soo skipped around the room giving people straws. She looked at her stick and sighed as quietly as she could: it was the number 19. After a few minutes of intense silence, drunk Matthew turned his head around the room.

"_Whooo's…the kiiiing…?"_

"Eh…?" Alfred turned his head. "Who zaid that…?"

"It's just you…you know how the _*hic* _intoxicated see _*hic*_ many things…"

"You're right…_**god,**_ the French are so wise…"

_This is mentally raping me._ Charice mumbled.

Before she knew it, someone slammed their hands on the table and then proceeded to stand on it. Sure enough, it was Ludwig with that damn stick in his hand. And it was red. Seeing how it wasn't a number, that would mean…

Fuck.

"_**I'M ZE KING NOOOOW!"**_

_*cue strange cheering coming from around the room*_

"What is your order…oh noble one?" My god, psycho!Italy is hammered deep in the drunk board.

"Hm…vell, now za' I see your pretty face…vhy don't I…exchange land vith our lucky contestant…?"

Charice held her head and groaned loudly. In nation terms, _'exchanging land'_ is basically the same as kissing…or _'French-kissing'_, if drinking had indeed thrown Ludwig back into Nazi!Germany. Before they knew it, he dropped down to the ground and held Feliciano's chin in a fashion that would make an Ouran Host Club member cry.

"_Sometimes, I wish it was you…"_

"_Oh, Ludwig…"_

Elizabeta, still hammered off her rocker, was somehow in shape to take about five hundred pictures _(that weren't aimed right)_ of that whole incident, while Arthur was cheering for him to choose a damn number already…and _**why the hell was he wearing a stripper waiter uniform?**_

"Right, right…ze number…le's hope is you…" He pointed to the sky. "Number…THIRTEEN!"

Charice let out a heavy sigh. Thank God Almighty, he missed her by six digits. She was about to express her happiness to her brother when she saw him. He was staring at his stick, utterly pale…so pale that it made Gilbert look tan. Curiously, she turned to see the stick and saw it…unlucky thirteen. Gee, can this _**get **_any better?

"Doooiiiitttsssuuu…" Feliciano whined. "You…you missed me…"

"Vell zen…vill you forgive me zen…?"

"I will…always be yours…"

_**WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?**_ Do Germany and Italy in their drunk tides just start shipping each other?

"Vell zen…who is number…thirteen, right!"

Rizal got even paler, making sure that he made no eye contact with _**anyone**_ in the room. However, his next-door neighbor was an extremely intoxicated Roderich, so when he turned to see the number he immediately jumped on the table _(how, exactly?)_.

"**IZ HIM! I SVEAR, IZ HIM!"**

"Hm…? _Ohhhh…"_ Ludwig made eye contact, licking his lips. "Ah…zhe silver medal…I can deal vith him…"

"N-no, not really…" Rizal stood up from his seat. "I-I'm not thirteen-"

"_**LIEZ AND INFINAZE SLANDER! HE IZ ZE NUMBER THIRTEEN!"**_

"…_thank you, Roderich…"_

"Aw…are you _shy…?"_ Ludwig jumped over the table. _"No vorry, no vorry…I von't hurt you…"_

"R-really, Germany…y-you don't have too…"

Charice sat there with the widest eyes she had ever had on her face. This was her younger brother Rizal, the one who could make snarky comments at people, the one who can think through anything logically, and here he was…_stammering?_ Before she knew it, he was pinned to the wall, arms shot out to keep him from running away.

"_I zought I told you…iz…just…Ludwig…"_

The smell of beer was clear in his breath, but nonetheless his breath alone was making every muscle in Rizal's body tense and inoperable. Before he knew it, his eyes were narrowing, and made no move to push him away as their lips finally crashed together, nagged on by the others in the room. They parted, and he was surprised: despite putting up a huge show and scaring the _**undeniable crap**_ out of him, the kiss was oddly gentle.

"…_zis vas my first kiss, you know…you should be lucky…"_

"…_f-first…?"_

"_Hm…you too, eh? Guezz my choice vas correct…"_

Ludwig jumped away and pulled up a hero pose, allowing more people to cheer for him and for Rizal to finally drop to his knees in shock. Through the other cheering, Charice quickly ran to his side, shaking him until his mind finally returned to his body. He took a deep sigh.

"Charice?"

"Um…yeah?"

"If Germany doesn't remember any of this…do us all a favor and make sure that he never does."

"Yeah…I can do that." She blinked. "Um…do you need help?"

"…I'm going to need a few beers…wait, scratch that…I'm going to need a _**lot**_ of them…"

**/=+=/**

**Well, this is the closest thing to GerRiz that I can get toward until someone suggests a GerRiz one shot. Does anyone want it? Just asking.**


	34. What Heaven and Hell Are Like

**My god, why the hell am I writing this? Really, I don't even know.**

**/= IT ALL STARTED AT A RANDOM WORLD MEETING… =/**

"Ve~~~sometimes, I miss Grandpa Rome…"

"Who?"

"Oh, you don't know him! I'm sorry!" Feliciano laughed. "He's my grandfather, the powerful Roman Empire!"

"Oh, that's true!" Charice laughed. "The Roman Empire was centered around the Italian Peninsula! He must've really loved you!"

"Ve~~~he was the nicest person to me…after everyone else started to take over."

"Well, what can you say?" Rizal sighed. "The world in Europe sucked major hell back then."

_**["LISTEN TO WHAT I TELL WHAT HELL WOULD BE…"]**_

…OK, what?

All the nations stared at each other for a few minutes before Ludwig mumbled something to himself and didn't bother to look outside the window. Rizal didn't catch it, but it was something bordering _"why the hell is he here?"_ They walked up to the window and they swear to God a huge figure erupted up onto the cloudy sky. It was a guy in some form of Roman uniform…whatever it was.

_**["IN HELL, THE ENGLISH ARE COOKS, THE GERMANS ARE POLICE OFFICERS, THE FRENCH ARE ENGINEERS, THE SWISS ARE LOVERS, AND THE ITALIANS ARE BANKERS…"]**_

The figure quickly faded as quickly as he came, leaving the room in a strange silence. Suddenly, Feliciano smiled and turned to Charice.

"Ve~~~that was Grandpa Rome!"

"_**Seriously?**_ That's so cool!" Charice turned to the window again. "I wish I had a grandpa like that: one who would come out of the sky out of nowhere and sing the most random song ever!"

"…_why is it such a big deal that the Germans are police officers…?"_ Rizal rubbed the back of his head.

"Gott…Feli, if you can ever contact him, please tell your grandfather not to interrupt during a meeting…"

"Ve~~~but it was nice of him to visit, Ludwig!"

"_**WHOA WHOA WHOA!"**_ Alfred waved his hands. "That's it? What about the rest of us? What are we in hell?"

"Do you really want to know, aru? Cause I don't…" Yao Wang shivered.

"Ooh! I know this!" Charice waved her hands around. "Pick me, pick me! I know, I know, I know!"

"…_how?"_ Arthur mumbled.

"Really? Sweet!" Alfred chirped. "What's the rest of hell?"

"_**DON'T SAY IT LIKE SHE'S BEEN THERE!"**_ Arthur screamed.

"It's easy!" Charice lifted her fingers, ready to dictate. "In hell, the English are cooks, the Germans are police officers, the French are engineers, the Swiss are lovers, the Italians are bankers, the landlady is Hungarian, your roommate is Prussian, the entertainment is run by Americans, the taxi drivers are Chinese, the teachers are Canadians, and the whole place is run by a gigantic Russian dude with pointy horns and a bishounen outfit because the fashion designers are Japanese!"

"…"

"_Can I cry now?"_

"_No, no you may not."_

"…that makes no sense, Charice." Ludwig sighed.

"Lies! It makes perfect sense!" She pointed at him. "Think about it!"

"…why am I running the entertainment in hell?" Alfred pouted. "I have great entertainment!"

"Says the reality shows invading foreign countries and the abomination that is 4Kids." Rizal spat back. "Now do you understand?"

"_But I still have good shows…"_

"Hey, no one worry! Hell will still be awesome!" Gilbert grinned. "Cause you have a roommate that is an awesome Prussian!"

"_Which will no doubt mooch you for every penny that you have, making it more than impossible to please the Hungarian landlady."_ Rizal mumbled. _"Man, no wonder those two make sense."_

"Hey! You're just jealous of my awesomeness!" Gilbert pulled off his sleeve. "Think about it: you don't have a beauty mark on your arm, but I do! That just ups my awesomeness!"

"Um…" Rizal stared at the mark. "I think that's an early sign of skin cancer."

_***Gilbert cries in the corner***_

"Wait, Charice?" Feliciano stared at her. "What about the Filipinos? What would they be in hell?"

"Come on, Feli-chan! We're all over the place!" She answered. "We're _**populating**_ hell!"

Is that a bad thing?

Yeah, most likely.

**/= AFTER A FEW MORE MINUTES OF FREAKING THAT OUT… =/**

"Wait, isn't there a heaven song that goes with it?" Rizal asked. "Like, two segments."

"Yeah, I remember there were two segments." Alfred blinked. "Hey Iggy, do you remember it?"

"Why the hell would I know? _**And stop calling my Iggy!"**_

"Aw, Iggy-chan…"

"**DON'T CALL ME THAT EITHER!"**

"Still, I want to know it too!" Charice mumbled. "Man, if only we can ask Rome…what's his human name, Feli-chan?"

"Ve~~~I think it was Romulus."

_Wow, really?_ Charice shrugged. "Yeah…we can ask Romulus what that song was."

"Or maybe we can Google it!" Alfred chirped.

"Yeah, Google it!" She sat up. "That makes more sense!"

"Or you could go with your original plan and ask me about the song!"

"Yeah, or we can do that- wait, what?"

Charice turned her head and saw none other than Romulus sitting in the empty chair next to her, wearing a traditional Roman toga and eating what looked like a potato. Nonetheless, his appearance made her scream bloody murder and flinging herself to the window. Instantly, he began to sing.

_**["LISTEN TO WHAT I THINK HEAVEN WOULD BE."]**_

_**["IN HEAVEN, THE FRENCH ARE COOKS, THE ENGLISH ARE POLICE OFFICERS, THE GERMANS ARE ENGINEERS, THE SWISS ARE BANKERS, AND OF COURSE YOUR LOVER IS ITALIAN, YAHOO~"]**_

"Ve~~~you're such a good singer, grandpa!" Feliciano clapped.

"Ah yes, he does sing the truth." Francis flipped his hair. "The French are excellent cooks."

"Well, anything's better than the British cooking, that's for sure."

"_**Don't rub it in, bloody git!"**_

"Ahahaha! The world's been so interesting ever since I left!" Romulus chirped.

"Wait, your lover is Italian in heaven?" Charice chirped. "Yaaaaay! Does that mean I get Feli-chan when I go there?"

"Ve~~~I think so, Charice!"

"_**YAAAAAAAAAAY!"**_

"_Oh good gott…"_

Nonetheless, while all of this was happening, Rizal was wondering what exactly was meant when it was sung that Germans were great engineers. It ended up with him having a rather interesting mental image of Ludwig topless and fixing the engine of a car on a hot summer day.

**[Oop. Another nosebleed of Rizal Pacquiao.]**

_Damn Charice and Elizabeta to hell…damn, damn, damn…_ He held his nose.

"But what else is heaven like?" Alfred asked. "Like, who's everyone else?"

"I know, I know, I know!" This time, Charice didn't bother to let them answer. "In heaven, the French are cooks, the English are police officers, the Germans are engineers, the Swiss are bankers, the Italians are lovers, the landlady is Canadian, the roommate is American, the entertainment is run by the Japanese, the taxi drivers are Hungarian, the teachers are Chinese, and the whole place is run by a gigantic Russian dude wearing this killer outfit because the fashion designers are Prussian!"

Again.

"…"

"Well, can't argue the entertainment, aru." Wang Yao stated.

"What are the Filipinos in heaven, then?" Ludwig asked, clearly annoyed. "Doctors?"

"No. We populate heaven too!" Charice cackled.

"…"

"Um…why is heaven run by a Russian?" Alfred asked.

"_Because both heaven and hell are one with me, da?"_

Well, that ain't good.

**/=+=/**

**If I offended anyone, please know that it wasn't intentional. This all made sense in my head, and now…well, not anymore.**


	35. Alfred's Got Some Magic Too, You Know

**Um…after a few minutes of thinking, I just wanted to write this.**

**/=+=/**

"Hey, kuya…I'm thinking of something weird…"

"Eh? What's that?"

"You know how Arthur has that magic and witchcraft and all that jazz and whatnot?"

"Yeah…why?"

"I don't think England was the only one that had magic in his history."

"No, he wasn't. I think other nations dazzled in black magic before."

"Did they? Hm…I figured that it would be something different…like druid magic or something like that or whatever…"

"You're babbling."

"…oh yeah~! Alchemy!"

"Eh?"

"Alchemy is something like magic, right?"

"It's a scientific practice that tries to change the atomic structure of an object to change it into something else. It's not really magic."

"But people usually refer to it like magic, right?"

"…no."

Charice mumbled to herself as they walked into the meeting hall and watched the other nations argue with each other for a few minutes before Germany finally called the damn meeting in order. She shrugged as she turned her head around and saw France and England argue with each other for the ten millionth time.

"Blasted git!" He screamed. "I will place the worse hex on you, Francis Bonnefoy!"

"Like you can even cast magic correctly."

"_**WHY I OUGHTA-"**_

"Is it too much to ask for cooperation?" Rizal sighed.

"…yeah…too much." She chuckled. "We really need interference before a whole war breaks out…"

"Did someone say…_**INTERFERENCE?"**_

"Oh god…NOT YOU, America…"

"Too bad!" He jumped on the table. "Well, just to stop all of this, I have the ultimate magic spell that can stop all of this!"

"…are we going into voodoo right now?" Rizal sighed.

"Nope! I got an even better spell!" He grinned. "Just listen~!"

"What now, bloody git?"

America chuckled as he cleared his throat and then tied a handkerchief around his neck and threw a hat on his head. Before he knew it, he threw on large sunglasses and struck a pose.

"_**Every day I'm shufflin'."**_

They shuffled the night away.

**/=+=/**

**The song is LMFAO's "Party Rock." Don't ask where this came from.**


	36. Pasta Goes Out to Whoever Gets It XD

**Just like the title states.**

**/=+=/**

She really had no idea what the whole meeting was doing right about now. They were in the middle of some reading when Italy remarked on hearing a rumor of some kind of haunted mansion outside of the area. Of course, everyone wanted to go check it out, and of course the usual nine of them went to check it out. A few minutes later, everyone headed out to check up after him.

"Should I go with?"

"I think you should stay here." Rizal had answered her. "We all know how you handle ghosts."

"…but Ita-chan…"

"It's fine." He stated. "They're probably lost or something."

Charice pouted as she watched everyone leave the room. Confused, she decided that she might as well stay in the room until someone either comes back or the day finally ends. There were few minutes of when she would suddenly start crying out of nowhere, and other times when there would just be pain coming out of her body, but other than that, she wouldn't even think about it.

It was about the time that she was about to go insane when the door finally opened, revealing all the other nations walking into the room in some form of daze. Did England have a scar?

"Geez! What the heck was so interesting in that manor, anyway?"

"E-eh?" Italy looked up. "Y-you're still here?"

"…yeah…?" She tilted her head. "Your…point?"

"…um…how long were you here?" America asked.

"An hour." She stared at the clock. "Guys, you've only been gone for about an hour. What the heck are you people mumbling about?"

All the nations looked at each other in shock as Charice stood there in the biggest pool of confusion on the face of the planet. To this day, she still has no idea what the hell they were talking about.

**/=+=/**

**Again…short, but do you know it?**


	37. How Bishounen Have Sexy Deep Voices

**And yet we harass Rizal again for his complete obliviousness of sexual innuendo and yet complete embarrassment for actual sex talks~! Because…well, think about it. No one's seduced him before.**

**/=+=/**

"Ah…isn't Valentine's Day such a beautiful time of the year?"

"Sure…whatever."

Rizal was really getting annoyed about the whole Valentine's Day business. For some reason, all the "romantic" nations were all having the time of their lives showing off their "romantic" talents on the other nations even though they're all going to be rejected in the end, hence why bother? Love was really a strange subject…

"Hey, uh…Rizal, I have a question?"

"Shoot, ate."

"You know how these guys are calling themselves the country of romance and stuff like that, like Spain and France and such?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Have they ever just…argued over who was the most romantic?"

"Quite frankly, I don't even want to bring it up with them-"

"_Ce que…_is someone questioning the one thing I do best?"

"_Oh __**crap."**_ Rizal buried his face in his hands. _Please, Charice…don't say anything that would-_

"We're trying to determine who's the more romantic nation~!"

_GOD DAMMIT._

"Hm…what makes you think that I, the country of romance, holding the city of romance, am not the most romantic nation on this planet?"

"Well, maybe it has something to do with the fact that the city of romance just happens to be where the Eifel Tower is."

"And your point being…?"

"_Just shut up, Charice…shut up…"_ This time, she heard him.

"We should have like a contest, right?" Antonio suddenly came out of nowhere. "Something that determines the most romantic nation!"

"Ve~~~maybe we can hit on women?"

"Our women? No." Charice stated.

"And outside women?" Elizabeta crossed her arms. _**"HELLLLLL**_ no."

"So…what are we stuck with?" Antonio laughed.

"Oh, I got it!" Charice clapped her hands. _**"YOU GUYS ALL TRY TO SEDUCE RIZAL!"**_

…

What?

"W-why me?" Rizal blushed.

"Because unlike Francis here, you're bi as well! Which means that we can get both boys _**and**_ girls to do this!" She clapped her hands rapidly. "Fair for everyone!"

_Why why why why why why why why why why why why why why why-_

"So what are we doing, exactly?" Antonio asked.

"Well, we do what lovers do best: whisper in his ear, of course." Francis smiled. "For a true romantic has a beautiful deep voice when talking in one's ear."

"Francis, if you get one inch closer than what I can handle, I will find ways to hurt you slowly."

"Awww…" He leaned in closer to Francis. _"Is someone being a little __shy__ today…?"_

***POW!***

**[And that, my friends, is one flying Frenchman. Ain't it a wonderful sight?]**

"That's…one down." Charice laughed. "Who's next~?"

"I am, I am!" Antonio waved his hands.

"Why the hell are you _**going**_ with this…?" Lovino grumbled.

"Because it's fun~!" He jumped to Rizal. _"Besides, he knows what he wants best, doesn't he…?"_

"…I feel…like I'm getting raped." Rizal sighed. _**"Horribly."**_

"_Awwww…what makes a grown man like you say that?"_

"_**Because there is a hand ON MY **__**ASS!**__**"**_

***POW!***

**[This time, the Spaniard only hit the wall.]**

"…can't I just leave…? _**Please?"**_

"Awww…but it's FUN!"

"_**How the hell is this **__**fun?**__**"**_ Rizal screamed, blush marks all over his face. "You might as well hang a sign on my back saying Rape Me: I'm Available!"

"_Ohhh…is that an option?"_

"Get the **HELL** away from me, Francis!"

Nonetheless, the fact that she was actually curious was not even close to the real reason why Charice started all this. It was, in all actuality, the fact that she hadn't seen Rizal this flustered before. And the last time someone brought up the whole "sex talk", there was a blush all over his face that he was perhaps the most embarrassed person in the room. So what do you do? Numb him of all emotions, that's what! Ain't that the smartest thing to do to a younger brother?

In the even deeper truth, Elizabeta wanted to ship him and she wanted Charice to see which couple seemed cuter.

But enough about that.

"Heeeey! What's going on here?" Alfred busted into the room. _**Great timing.**_

"Oh, Al-kun!" Charice chirped, making Rizal sigh. She's obviously way too happy if she's saying nicknames now. "We're trying to find out the most romantic nation in the world, and we're doing that by trying to sound sexy in Rizal's ear!"

"_**DON'T **__**TELL HIM**__** THAT!"**_

"Oh, I can do this! Cause I'm the hero, and heroes can do anything!" Before he knew it, Rizal was pushed back onto his chair. _"Yet as the hero…I am only here to be your servant. Say the word, and it will be my command…"_

…

"I can so totally turn manly for that voice."

"_**CHARICE!**_ What the hell does that mean?"

"Well, I would say it's an awesome voice, but come on, he's obviously gay for Arthur!"

"WHAT WAS THAT, you bloody-"

"And remember, you can't spell 'uke' without the UK!"

"Ohohohohohoh-"

Rizal just sat in his chair, too terrified to move on the off-chance someone gets too horny and actually wants to rape him. Knowing half of these nations, someone's on the brink of doing it. He knows it…he just doesn't know who at the moment…

"_Rizal…you are not hurt by what they have done? Perhaps…I can help you with your pain?"_

His head darted up in shock. No. No. _**NO.**_ Please don't tell me that Feliciano's actually willing to play along with this game. Oh god, please don't tell me…

"Ve~~~! Oi, Charice! I think I got something from him!"

"No, not really…for I am more traumatized than happy…"

"Eh? W-why?"

"Well, seeing as how I see you the majority of the time as Charice's huggle buddy, _**this…"**_ He gestured toward the both of them. "…is just plain weird."

"Ve~~~so what if fratello does it?"

"_**Hell no!"**_

"My feelings exactly."

"Hm…" Charice rubbed the bottom of her chin. "Who else didn't we go through?"

"_Oh…perhaps I can participate. Besides, you will be one with me soon, da?"_

In a perfectly normal situation, Rizal would be able to completely blow of Ivan's trademark statement with a snarky remark of his own and then proceed to initiate a normal conversation with him that would end up with the whole world wondering just…how in the world that was possible. However, seeing as how the recent chain of events have made that a little impossible right now, it ended up with him screaming like a girl and flying up to a standing position about five feet away.

"People…have got…to **stop**…_**DOING**__** that!"**_

"Awww…is someone being a little shy today?"

***yo-yo to a Frenchman's face***

"_Ahahahah…sometimes, you make me smile Rizal. Let's keep that smile on your face…"_

"E-Elizabeta, what are you- _**HEY!"**_ He jumped away. "Don't DO that!"

"Huh…" She flexed her hands. "You're bigger than I thought."

"Don't you _**dare**_ ship me with any of them!" His face was now completely red. "What the hell? Valentine's Day comes around, and suddenly I'm everyone's lust object or something?"

"Oi~! Who said lust object?"

Rizal groaned to himself. Out of all the people that could've _**possibly **_entered the room, it had to be Gilbert. It had to be the most ungodly annoying creature on the face of this planet Earth. God help him on what the hell he was going to do.

"Hey, Gil-kun!" Yep, she's totally into Cute-Obsession Mode. Not going to help him now. "We're trying to find out who's the most romantic nation!"

"Ve~~~and we're doing that by seducing Rizal!"

He clung his head in shame. He'd been passed around as a godforsaken colony for a few three hundred years, maybe suddenly whispering in people's ears like this probably isn't the best idea to do that…especially when he has that old war blood running through his veins. Sooner or later, he will have to drop-kick someone-

"Oh, is that so?" Gilbert came from behind. _"Perhaps your steeled up nerves will melt down when you feel the touch of the most truly awesome person in the world-"_

***Drop Kick***

"My **GOD!** It's only Valentine's Day! Use someone else for a freakin' change!" Rizal screamed. "I'm only sixteen! What the hell does any of this have to do with _**anything?"**_

"Because it's FUN, sweet Rizal!"

"_**God dammit, Antonio! DON'T **__**USE**__** THAT PHRASE! YOU SOUND LIKE A PEDOPHILE!"**_

"_Funny story, the bastard is…"_

"Ahahahaha! Don't say things like that, Lovino!"

Rizal held his head, obviously showing way too much emotion for these nutjobs at this point. It was about that time that he heard the door open again, and he didn't bother to turn around this time. God forbid it was someone like Switzerland or China. God, he did not want to know how Swiss people seduce each other.

"_Perhaps three times will be a charm?"_

"OK, Francis? Now would be a _**good time**_ to surrender! That's all the damn French can do, right?"

Rizal slipped, landing on the person behind him. He didn't have enough room to turn his head to realize that the guy behind him was the only man to ever have any decent sense in the last…five thousand years. Scratch that…six thousand.

"OK, what the hell is going on?"

"Oi, West~!" Gilbert chirped. "We're trying to make our marks of being the most romantic nations by seducing Rizal!"

Gee, that's blunt.

"Gilbert, you're not proving anything like that. And so are the rest of you! He's only sixteen, qualifying him as a minor!" He stated with that booming voice of his. "Hypothetically, I can quality all of you as sexually harassing a minor."

"That's so cool~! Do it do it do it do it-"

"_**Don't **__**PROMOTE**__** it, Charice!"**_

Meanwhile, while all this chaos is occurring, Ludwig slowly helped Rizal to a balance on his two feet. He turned to thank the German when his hands quickly grabbed his shoulders, making him say a strange _"eep"_ noise out of his throat.

"_Are you OK, Rizal?"_

"…um…yeah. No harm done."

"_Are you sure?"_

The grip on his shoulders began to tighten, forcing Rizal to look deep into his eyes. They were getting extremely…bluer?...than usual. Nonetheless, the booming voice of the rather intimidating German was actually…not booming at all. It sounds more like a…like a…um…

"**YES! WE FINALLY GOT A WINNER!"**

**/=+=/**

**I'm a real jackass, aren't I?**


	38. Well, Even the Swiss Make Bad Calls

**LOL cause this is just how this is going to work. Again, LOL cause this is in the USA.**

**/=+=/**

There wasn't much that she could figure out about the man known as Vash Zwiligi. All she knew was that he carried a gun wherever he went, had a sister named Erika who was Liechtenstein, and he was the incantation of Switzerland. As she sat down two seats away from him, she couldn't help but note something: he did NOT look anything like a Swiss.

"_Charice…do you have any idea what the meeting's about?"_

"_Eh? Rizal, don't tell me you're asleep!"_

"_I'm near about to. Gilbert's been blasting German techno for about forever into the morning."_

Well, that explains things, like why he reeked of alcohol or why the heck he was at a meeting in the first place. As the meeting started, Charice just sat there, wondering what the hell is going on _(cause really, watching a drunk Gilbert harass everyone is more entertaining than this)_. Then…well…

"**PHILIA!"**

"_**GAH!"**_ She jumped in her seat. "Holy what the who said I have no idea what's going on hello hello what the _**who said that?"**_

"I want your opinion on the upcoming plan to execute more relations with the Afghan nations!"

"Afghan nations? Uh…" She turned her head. "Well..um…the ideas that everyone has offered are really interesting and make a lot of sense, so-"

"_**HEY! **_Don't say anything like that!" Vash suddenly slammed his hands on the ground. "Speak your opinion! Don't start hiding behind others!"

"All right all right!" She spat. "You want me to speak my opinion?"

"That's right!" He answered. "State what you're thinking!"

"_Oh really?_ I might as well do that!" She grinned, jumping on the table. **"GERMANY! TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRT!"**

"_**WHAT?"**_

"No exceptions! Vash told me to state what I'm thinking, right? _**GO GO GO GO GO GO GO GO!"**_

She started dashing over the tables and leaped over everyone before doing a quick flip over him. Suddenly, everyone jumped out of their seats and started whooting and hollering. That's when Ludwig realized that she had just unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the abs underneath. It just so happens that Rizal roused from his nap and just so happened to turn his head toward his direction.

He catapulted backward and flew out of his seat. Blood _**everywhere.**_

As that was happening, Charice started flailing down the other side of the table and pulled out a roll of duct tape, wrapping him up until he was a mummy tucked in tape. She threw him over her shoulder, duct taped his mouth and headed toward the open door. Before she left, she gave a thumb's up.

"_**GOD BLESS AMERICA!"**_

She bolted out of the door, causing the others to follow her in a fit of rampage. As Vash sat there quietly, he saw the unconscious Filipino on the ground and the strange Spaniard smiling back at him from the other side of his seat.

"You started it."

"Shut up, Antonio."

**/=+=/**

**Ahahahaha…**


	39. It Wasn't Germany's Fault!

**Cause it's the underlying truth, isn't it?**

**/=+=/**

"Hey, uh…kuya?"

"Wha-? What is it?"

"You're dazing off again."

"Am I now…?"

Rizal couldn't help but daze off like that, staring off through the cafeteria to stare at a certain German that was being annoyed by the Prussian in his life. It had only been a week since he realized just how he felt, and yes…he did remember what he had done in his drunken state. No amount of beer could erase it from Rizal's mind.

Then again, he was glad that it stayed.

"What are you looking at?"

"Eh? Huh? Oh, uh…" He darted his head away. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Are you sure? Cause that's the German's table."

"Yeah…I was just thinking about something…"

Fortunately, Rizal did that all the time. Charice was able to jump off his back and leave Rizal to his peace. He poked around at the pasta they were serving and found strange daydreams dancing in his head. When was the last time he dreamt of the German holding him in his arms?

Since when he started freaking himself out with daydreams?

"Aw…doesn't he look _**cute**_ when he's daydreaming?"

Rizal almost choked on his spit as he looked up and saw Elizabeta laughing, deciding to sit with them for the day. His face must've hit different shades of red if she was to remark on something like that…

"I mean, look at him, Charice! Doesn't Feli look like he's dreaming?"

"Eh, I think he's dazed." She tilted her head. "Though I sometimes wish that he was dazing over Ludwig!"

"I know! Aren't they the cutest things together?"

"It's like a couple just waiting for someone to push them over the bridge and something like that!" Charice laughed. "Well, I guess we're stuck to doujinshi…"

The both of them sighed as they went about their daydreams. None of them knew it, but a lot of their remarks had struck him hard. He wasn't surprised. Everyone's shipping GerIta these days: Ludwig's brother, Elizabeta, half the female population _(if that was possible)_, heck even his **SISTER** can go insane over it! It doesn't seem to bother someone until they bite the lovebug…or is it until they're bitten?

"Actually, aren't you and Ludwig close?"

"Yeah, actually. We were close during the World Wars." Elizabeta stated. "I was actually a part of the Axis Powers."

"_**YOU WERE?"**_ She gawked.

"Yes. It wasn't just those three. It was me, Tino, and this other man…hm, I think his name was Gavril…" She nodded. "Though he was close to Roderich as well."

"Well, they were allies during the first World War…" Rizal stated. "I can't blame them."

"Yes, but other than that…well, Germany had saved us plenty of times…which ended up becoming those wars."

"Meaning?"

"What, Charice…you don't know? The main cause of World War I was because the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne was assassinated, and Germany came to their financial aid when they started the war." Rizal pointed out. "Not only that, but Adolf Hitler, the man who ran Germany during World War II, was actually born in Austria."

"…so this was all _**AUSTRIA'S**_ fault."

"Well, I won't say it's like that-"

Before he knew it, Charice had flown from her table and started chastising Roderich for basically everything that he had started that ended up with Ludwig's problems. Rizal would've went to pull her away, but when she did it he felt oddly…dare he said it…satisfied?

**/=+=/**

**By the way, Gavril is Bulgaria.**

**You see, the Axis Powers weren't settled on just the three we know now. Those were the head countries of the Powers, that's why they were focused upon. In fact, three other nations joined the Axis Powers until they surrendered or jumped out of it before Italy surrendered. They were Hungary, Finland and Bulgaria.**

**And why not? I'll start a GerRiz fanfic soon.**


	40. How Food Origins are Bad Conversations

**Yeah…think about it.**

**/=+=/**

Today's meeting took place in the beautiful place known as Italy, so of course the meeting hall's lunch room was FILLED with beautiful delicacies from all over the world. Which, to Rizal, meant that Charice was going to be engulfing everything that she could on her plate before realizing that her stomach can't hold anything past the ninth plate. Rizal sighed and didn't bother to bring up a plate as he sat next to her.

"You're not hungry, kuya?"

"I'll just pick off of yours-"

"_**NO. My food."**_

Rizal just rolled his eyes as she started eating everything on her plate with delicate care. He blinked and noticed that she was eating the pasta first, stretching all the cheese on top of it before engulfing it in her mouth. And over and over again…and over…and over…

"What is up with you and pasta?"

"Pasta is beautiful~!" She chirped. "Especially since this is Italian pasta! Italians were the **CREATORS** of pasta and noodles in general~!"

"Um…no they're not."

"Eh?" She swallowed the pasta.

"…I thought you knew this…" Rizal cocked an eyebrow. "Pasta originated from the creation of noodles…and noodles originated in _**China.**_ It was only after Italian visitors came back from China that the custom was perfected in Italy."

"…so the pasta originated in noodles that came from _**China…**__**"**_ Charice jumped to her next plate. "So where did the word noodles come from? It doesn't sound Chinese."

"It's based off the German word _nudel_, which basically means the same thing."

"Huh…**THAT'S** a mindfuck."

It was then that they heard whimpering from behind them. They turned their heads and saw Feliciano stare at his hands for a few minutes before running out of the room crying bucket loads of tears. Charice and Rizal turned to each other, knowing that they were too busy eating to go on after him.

"OK, that wasn't a smart idea." Rizal chuckled.

"Yeah…" Charice downed the third plate. "Don't tell Antonio that tomatoes came from the Americas, either!"

"Eh? I thought he'd know this?"

It was then that he heard someone else sob their eyes out and run screaming out of the room. Ironically enough, it was Lovino. Way to go, world. Way to go.

"Oh yeah, Lovino!" Rizal lifted his hands up to yell it out. "You know how you keep calling Ludwig a 'potato bastard'? Potatoes came from the Americas as well!"

There was more sobbing, and Charice was halfway done with her plate.

"That was fun." He grinned.

"Yeah, I know." She looked up. "Well, since we're ruining the whole world of their food dignity, what else can we ruin for them?"

"Well…French fries aren't actually _**French…**_they're just called that because how they were originally made, through a 'French' usage."

"That I knew." Charice chuckled. "Not that entertaining."

"Right, um…oh, here's a fact that most people don't care about." Rizal lifted up his hand. "You know beer, right? It actually originated in Iran around 3500 BC, popular next to water and tea."

They thought they weren't going to get a reaction. However, Gilbert was downing a beer, heard the news, and then started sobbing away like a wuss. Charice slammed her head on the table, unable to eat, allowing Rizal to finally have his lunch.

"Oh, and chocolate, right? A lot of people like associating them with the Swiss, right?" He chewed slowly.

"Yeah…because of Hershey's and stuff…ah, this isn't going to be funny."

"Just say it. Who knows?"

"All right, all right…" Charice sat up. "Chocolate is actually a Mexican creation, the word _'chocolate'_ coming from the Spanish language."

Nothing happened. She sighed and was about to call it when she heard Yong Soo _(a chocolate lover)_ sob his eyes out at the fact that he wasn't eating Swiss chocolate. Then again, everything was made in China these days…

"Well, we can give Italy one thing: being the place of the Roman Empire, they were the origins of cake." Charice pointed out. "Speaking of which, is there any cake there?"

"No, nothing." He started eating French fries. "Hey, um…do you think that Alfred knows that half of his food creations are created by other nations?"

"You'd assume so. I mean, half of his human population are immigrants." Charice pointed out. "I mean, take his all-popular hamburger that he keeps eating so much. It came from Germany of course~!"

"The word _hamburger_ came from the city of Hamburg, Germany's second largest city. After some of those Germans emigrated to America, they brought it over as well. The Americas had fun with it and made it the burger it was now."

"Yeah, so Alfred should know that-"

_***cryyyyy***_

"…I said too much."

"No, you'll only say too much when you say that hot dogs also originated from Germany."

"Or that the idea of it being in a bun came from the wife of a German immigrant."

"…now you said too much."

**/=+=/**

**Yes, yes indeed. All this information I got from Wikipedia.**


	41. And Now the Nations of the World!

**And now a song that we all know and love~!**

**/=+=/**

"How many hamburgers have you eaten already?"

"I'm only on my fifteenth one, dude!"

"Which means he'll be going on for another hour."

Rizal leaned on his chair and sighed as Alfred continued to consume everything on his plate. Out of all the people in the world, he had to be sitting next to _him_ during this world meeting. It wouldn't be such a problem if it hadn't been for the fact that the meeting was in America meaning _**they're right next to a FREAKING McDonalds.**_

"Please speak with your mouth empty, America."

***mrmpf grg thee nom nom nom***

"Well, that worked."

"Actually, can I ask something?" Charice lifted her finger up. "Does this guy even know _**any**_ country in the world that's NOT a part of the G8?"

"_Oh boy, here we go…"_ Arthur mumbled.

"Oh, are you asking me to name them all?"

"**NO, ****NO**** SHE'S NOT, ALFRED! My god, **_**don't sing it!"**_

"Actually, now I'm curious-"

"_**GOD DAMMIT, ARGH!"**_

Alfred cleared his throat _(after drinking down yet another large soda…he had to cut out the supersize option)_ and then climbed up to the top of the table. Suddenly, music came out of nowhere…cause apparently that's an American thing.

"**AND NOW…THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD…BROUGHT TO YOU BY ALFRED. F JONES."**

"_Who the hell said that?"_ Rizal turned his head around.

***ahem*** "United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Haiti, Jamaica, Peru-"

"_Oh shit oh shit oh shit he's in it he's not going to stop…"_

"Republic Dominican, Cuba, Caribbean, Greenland, El Salvador too…"

**-FAST FORWARD-**

They were forced to see Alfred do a little dance number while the music _(wherever the hell it came from)_ played in the background. Nonetheless, Rizal held his head and tried his best to sob loudly so that this song would just STOP. But again…it was about the world…

"Norway and Sweden and Iceland and Finland and Germany now in one piece~"

"_**HEY!**_ We don't bring that up here anymore!"

"Switzerland, Austria-"

"_**Why are we sung together?"**_

"Czechoslovakia, Italy, Turkey and Greece! Poland, Romania, Scotland, Albania, Ireland, Russia, Oman-"

"Kolkolkolkolkol…"

"Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, Hungary-"

"Hell yeah I am!"

"Cyprus, Iraq and Iraaaaan…there's Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, both Yemens, Kuwait and Bahrain…the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium-"

"Oh, I'm mentioned!"

"and Portugal _**FRANCEENGLANDDENMARK and Spaaaaaaain~"**_

"**We're not even given a SPACE?"**

"Ce que…that's a little mean…"

"Ahahaha~! It sounds fun!"

**-FAST FORWARD AGAIN-**

"India Pakistan, Burma, Afghanistan, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan, Kampuchea, Malaysia, then Bangladesh (Asia) and China, Korea, Japan~!"

_Is this song over yet?_

**-FAST FORWARD YET AGAIN-**

""Niger, Nigeria, Chad and Liberia, Egypt, Benin and Gabon. Tanzania, Somalia, Kenya and Mali, Sierra Leone and Algiers, Dahomey, Namibia, Senegal, Libya-"

_Why is this song not over yet…?_

Everyone watched as he was started tap-dancing the rest of the undeniably long ass song.

"Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Rwanda, Mahore, and Cayman, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Yugoslavia…"

_***pause***_

"_**Crete Mauritana then Transylvania MONACO-LIECHTENSTEIN-MALTA-AND-PALENSTINE-FIJI-AUSTRALIA-SUDAN!"**_

…

"Yes it's over!" Lovino cheered.

"Hey, Al." Rizal looked up. "Please tell me you remembered to _breathe_ during this song."

…

…

_***collapse***_

"Yeah, I figured."

**/=+=/**

**Review if you remember the Animaniacs~!**


	42. How Every Single Anime Song Has a Dance

**Cause now that you think about it…it's true D:**

**/=+=/**

"Ate…what are you doing?"

"Eh? Oh, I'm learning a new dance~!"

"_**Another **_one?"

Rizal mumbled something to himself as Charice started watching on her iPad _(courtesy of Alfred…damn jackass)_. It was then that he knew what the song she was learning about was. What could possibly mask up that rather _**annoying**_ beat?

"…the Nyan Cat? Seriously?"

"Yeah~! There's a dance for it!"

"Are you going to teach me, or are you not in your fangirl phase yet?"

"Well, I would show you…but I have a better teacher~" She pointed to the sky. "Let's just say that Ivan-kun's been showing me some of his psychic power research…"

She turned and pointed at Arthur, who was in the meeting lobby minding his own business. After a few minutes, she mixed up something in a cup of tea and switched it with his cup, and he drank it without a hitch. A bit of silence followed before…um…

"_**What the bloody hell?**_Why in the world do I have cat ears and a tail?"

"Cause I'm goin' to _**make you dance!"**_

"Wha-"

"_**DANCE, MY SHIPPING SLAVE!**__**"**_

She replayed the annoying song, and to Rizal's amazement he just stood up and started dancing out of nowhere. He had to admit that there was a level of entertainment here…but all in all it was rather traumatizing. After a while, Kiku passed by and saw Arthur dancing against his will.

"The Nyan Dance?" He asked.

"Totally." She pointed to Rizal. "I'm showing kuya the many different anime dances~!"

"Is Arthur the only one affected?"

"No…I think I can get the others to dance…" She winked. _"I drugged everyone's drink, of course. Courtesy of Ivan."_

"W-what?"

"Relax, kuya. I didn't drug yours. And I didn't drug yours either, Kiku-ki. You know these dances better than I do."

"Yes, indeed." He sat at the computer. "The World Meeting is starting out of the break…should we start there?"

"I think that's a great idea~"

"_**WILL YOU BLOODY WANKERS STOP TALKING NONSENSE AND HELP ME STOP THIS?"**_

**/=+=/**

Rizal leaned over as Kiku started using Charice's iPad to go on YouTube to start looking for dances. For some reason, Vash was leading it and apparently for some OTHER strange reason no one was worried about the fact that three Asians were looking on YouTube for things to heavily abuse.

"_Ooh, what about Love and Joy? That has a pretty cool dance."_

"_Too complicated for Rizal. We'll have to start simple."_ Kiku grinned. _"But something that they don't already know."_

"_Aw…no Carameldancen?"_

"_None of that…too simple…"_ Kiku flipped through. _"How about Kero Destiny?"_

"_That has a dance?"_ Charice blinked.

Kiku could only chuckle as he pointed to Vash, Roderich and Magnus as he pressed play. The drugged drinks came into effect, and soon they were on their feet unable to stop dancing. Poor Charice was too busy dying of laughter to notice that Rizal was staring at the both of them with a rather troubled look on his face.

"You two scare me…"

"_**Someone STOP THIS!"**_ Vash screamed. "Can't…reach…gun!"

"Oh, shall we stop this song?" Kiku smiled. "How about we try…Matryoshka?"

"There's a DANCE for that?" Charice's jaw widened. "That is awesome!"

"Yes, indeed…a rather interesting version, in fact."

He pointed at Gilbert and a rather traumatized Arthur and replayed the song. They were forced to dance it as the former three collapsed onto their knees, exhausted for some really strange reason. The other nations either looked on in terror or were laughing at the events that were going on. Charice, personally, saw this as extremely sexy.

"_**You're not getting away with this, asshole!"**_ Lovino jumped to the desk. "Don't you have any idea what you're doing to their dignity?"

"Dignity! Don't make me laugh!" Charice cackled. _**"THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS DIGNITY ONCE YOU STEP INTO THIS ROOM!"**_

"But there is such thing as torture!" Lovino pulled out a gun. "I'm stopping this!"

"Then we better choose the next song." Kiku smiled.

"OOOOH! I got one, I got one!"

She pointed at Lovino and Antonio as "The Delicious Tomato Song" rang out. Lovino's face raged red _(wondering how the hell it got on YouTube, no doubt)_ before they were forced to dance to it, the other two dropping to the ground in exhaustion. Rizal had to admit: seeing Lovino in total submission brought out his evil sadist. And apparently, it also brought out Charice's inner nutjob.

"_I got something…though it's not really a dance as it is FANSERVICE."_

"_Oohhh…"_ Kiku leaned in. _"Do tell."_

She whispered it in his ear as she jumped onto the table and spun around the room to point at everyone. At the same time, Kiku pointed at Ludwig and played a rather strange song on the iPad. Instantly, the whole room went dark as something that sounded like…jazz(?)…echoed out. Suddenly, a spotlight erupted out as they saw Germany with an unbuttoned white shirt and a hat with a microphone in his hand.

…

"_What do you think, Kiku-ki?"_

"_I have to admit that it's rather entertaining…though how much longer until we have to run out?"_

"_We have a while."_ She looked up. _"Hey Rizal, what's that red stuff coming out of your nose?"_

**/=+=/**

**Do you want to see Prussia and England dance? Why not! Here ya go! **_**(Note: IT'S NOT THE OFFICIAL DANCE VERSION. IT'S JUST PLAIN PRUSSIAN.)**_

**http:/ www. youtube. com/ watch? v= 11Rkkk 38hCk**

**And as for Germany's smexy fanservice song…**

**http:/ www. youtube. com/ watch?v= eWCgWqY qpZE&list =PL5BD82 7D7E1 156D86**

**Fangirl to your heart's content :D**


	43. Mochitalia

**I was blessed to go to a Korean market today **_**(showered with Southern Korean flags too)**_**, and was able to buy some MOCHI~! And hence this was born.**

**/=+=/**

"Great, now we're going to be late for the meeting!"

"It's all your fault, kuya! You should've woken me up earlier!"

"_**I tried!**_ Where did you think that huge indent in the wall came from?"

"That was from ME?"

"Where else, ate?"

Charice mumbled some choice words as they dashed toward the meeting hall, their bags filled with knickknacks that should be enough to fill them until lunch. Of course, since this meeting took place in Paris, there was absolutely no way that they were going to be lost: Rizal had run through all these streets to get away from a rather crazy Francis one time.

"_**Please tell me**_ that you know where the meeting hall is!"

"I'm not you, ate! I know where I'm going!"

"What are you trying to _**say**_ here?"

He wasn't paying attention: the meeting hall was right in front of them, just a few long meters away. Suddenly, the ground started shaking from underneath them. The building before them was struck with a large beam of light that came from the clouds, emitting a huge glow that took a few minutes to fade away. They lowered their arms, and Charice sighed.

"OK, should I be thanking you for making us late, or vice versa?"

"You sleep like a log. I'll give you that credit." Rizal pulled out his yo-yo. "What do you think happened in there?"

"Well, either Iggy-kun's been casting his magic, or someone made God _**very angry."**_

"…let's hope it's the former."

**/=+=/**

They entered the building with caution, Rizal's hand swinging the yo-yo at all times. The rather lively building was freakishly quiet, scaring Charice into grabbing onto her brother's sleeve. At this time, someone should be chasing someone else for something stupid that happened last night at the local bar. And since these were French bars…

"_Where is everyone?"_

"_I really don't know…hopefully, they're not hurt…"_

They turned a corner and saw a terrifying sight: Feliciano's clothes gathered together on the floor, like he had just melted or evaporated into nothing. She could not stop screaming her head off as she started spazzing like a nutcase.

"_**Oh my god IT'S THE RAPTURE!"**_

"Charice, that was supposed to happen _a week ago…"_

"Maybe God was late on something, and now he's doing it!" She panicked. _**"But why FELI-CHAN! **__**WHYYYYYYYY?**__**"**_

Rizal stared at her for a few minutes before seeing something struggle to get itself out of the pack of clothing. He readied himself before seeing a white head pop out of the shirt, looking around in fear and seeing the both of them staring back at him. He whimpered in shock.

"_**YAAAAAH!**_ P-please don't hurt me! I surrender, I surrender!"

_Eh?_ Rizal stood. _I-it's acting like…_

"Holy crap _**IT ATE FELI-CHAN!"**_

"No, I don't think it ate Veneziano…"

"_**Bullshit look at it! It's acting like him, it's crying like him, it sounds like him…IT'S A MONSTER!"**_

"…it looks more like a mochi to me."

"…mochi?" She turned her head and glared. _**"Must…eat…to…survive…"**_

The small mochi bounced away in fear and snuggled itself in Rizal's arms, crying all the way and making him all the cuter really. He looked up to Rizal's face and started whimpering in Italian for a few minutes before he could finally get enough of his sanity to start speaking in English.

"Ve~~~~! Rizal, help me! England was using some really weird spell and now I can't find anyooooooone~!"

"And apparently it turned you into a Japanese dessert." Rizal lifted him up. "Surprisingly, you definitely look like a mochi…but you're not cold enough…"

"_Ve…I got separated from Doitsu…"_

"**NE~? Doitsu-ki!"**She grabbed Feliciano. "Are you kidding me? Iggy-kun made you into this poor little thing?"

"_Ve…I'm scared…"_

"Aw…don't worry…I'm sure it's only temporary." Charice purred on the top of his head. "Squeeee…you're portable!"

"Please keep your head together, ate." Rizal sighed. "Everyone's clearly not going to know what they turned into, so we might as well find them."

"Ve…I'm worried about Doitsu…we should find him first."

"W-we'll find what we see first…"

"O-OK…" Feliciano answered. He turned to Charice. "Please don't squeeze too hard on me…"

"I won't, Feli-chan!"

"Ve…thank you…"

It was then that she saw something remarkable, Feliciano seemed to have some movement on his sides like arms. It had to be that, since the side of his mochi body was sticking out and moving up and down like it was a finger or hand or something.

…

"_**KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"**_

"**VEEEEE~~~~~!****"**

**/=+=/**

Rizal had a semi-empty bag since Charice had all the snacks in hers, so Feliciano's clothes were shoved in his as they wandered the hallways. After a few minutes, they saw another set of clothes before them, and another mochi bouncing around mumbling something to himself before seeing them.

"Ve~! Doitsu! You got turned too?"

"Eh? Italy!" The mochi bounced toward them. "Philia? Philippines? You weren't turned?"

"We were late coming here." Rizal glared at Charice. "So we were spared."

"While I would scold you two for being late…I suppose that it was a good thing at this moment and time…" He sighed. "Everyone else is at the meeting hall, at least that's what I knew before I left."

"I guess we should head over to the meeting hall then!" Charice looked up. "You carry Doitsu-ki over there, 'kay?"

"C-c-carry him?" His face was completely red. "All the way over there…?"

"I can walk for myself, thank you for asking." Germany stated.

"You're going to tire yourself out, that much I know!" She pointed out. "I don't have enough arm room to hold you too, so…Rizal can hold you!"

"Really, though…it's fine…"

"_Y-yeah…"_ Rizal mumbled. _"It's fine…"_

"Come on, Doitsu-ki~! The meeting hall is at least a few floors upward! You might as well!"

Before they knew it, Charice tossed Feliciano up in the air, picked up Ludwig, tossed it to a rather surprised Rizal, and caught Feliciano at the same time. She chirped in success before she skipped up ahead, leaving the other two staring at each other. The fact that Rizal was holding onto Ludwig made the former rather uncomfortable.

"_N-no one learns of this…"_

"_Taken."_ Ludwig snuggled closer to his chest.

"_S-sire…"_ Rizal blinked. _"W-what are you doing?"_

"_Making myself as small as possible. It'll make it a little easier for you to carry me."_

"_R-right…"_

**/=+=/**

True to their promise, Rizal let Ludwig walk on his own when Charice walked into the meeting hall. And true to what Ludwig said, everyone was there. Unfortunately, everyone was going insane and fighting each other like they were monsters and for some reason things were being thrown in the air.

"…should we leave, kuya?"

"…um…your call."

Ludwig and Feliciano bounced into the room, leaving the two siblings to realize that they had to step inside as well. As they walked inside, the whole meeting noticed that they were unchanged.

"You weren't affected?" Francis asked.

"We were late for the meeting." Charice stated. "So we kinda missed the costume change."

Everyone was mumbling on how lucky they were when Charice noticed that the entire room was starting to cringe and cuddle themselves away from them in the corner of the room. Confused, she turned her head and saw that Rizal had reached into her bag and took out one of their snacks. And apparently, he brought mochi. And was eating it as they speak.

"…what?"


	44. These Nations Are MESSED UP!

**Watch and you will understand: http: /www. youtube. com/ watch?v= u7uj1J9AuJk&list= PL494EF4EAD84E3D18**

**So basically I watched this, and to put it simply: one scene, switched VAs. And I basically HAD to do this. Just in case you couldn't catch anything, I listed everything that happened here.**

**Russia's VA does England, so Russia's a tsundere instead of a yandere.**

**China's VA does Germany, so China is now a serious hard-worker.**

**France's VA does Japan, so now he's a proper businessman.**

**America's VA does China, so now he goes "aru".**

**I think I caught England's VA doing Italy. And Japan's VA did Russia…um…yeah.**

**Italy's VA does France, so now…**

**Oh wait! Germany's VA does America here, so…**

…

**OK, you know what? Just read this…and watch the entire space-time continuum collapse on itself. Especially since Spain's VA was there as well, so HE'LL SUFFER AS WELL.**

**/=+=/**

It was one of the few incidences where they would have a World Meeting in China. It was even rarer that it was going to be in Hong Kong. Nonetheless, Rizal seemed happy about the fact that Charice seemed ecstatic about the fact that she was going to see Li Xiao after a long time. As they came out of the airport, they saw a familiar face waving toward them.

"_**Xiao-chan~!"**_ She jumped toward him. "It's been so long!"

"Going around on World Meetings again, haven't we aru?" Li Xiao chuckled. "Rizal."

"Li Xiao. Doing well, I see." He nodded.

"I have, I have." He turned to the car. "We should go to the hotel and unpack. We'll be going to the meeting tomorrow."

"Eh?" Charice tilted her head. "I thought the meeting was today, so that's why we zoomed over here!"

"No, that's the meeting with Yao and the Western nations." Li Xiao swung his hand. "The rest of us are joining them tomorrow."

"So who else is here?" Rizal asked as he loaded up the van.

"Ling Lin Yi, and Im Yong Soo I believe."

"_**Seriously? I've missed them!"**_ Charice chirped. "We should head over there, pronto!"

**/=+=/**

The hotel that Li Xiao had booked for them was really pretty, to say the least. Charice had learned some quick Mandarin Chinese, while Rizal learned Cantonese, so when the receptionist started talking Cantonese Rizal had to cut in. Meanwhile, Charice turned her head and saw a familiar face airborne.

"_**No,**_ Yong Soo."

"Waaaaaah…da ze." He crawled out of Li Xiao's grasp. "Charice! It's been so long! Where were you all this time?"

"Travelling to the Western nations and eating up all their food~" She answered. "I have to admit though: the most fascinating one was America."

"Ah, the land of opportunity." Lin Yi chirped. "And peace. And freedom."

"And the ability to apparently break a billion drinking rules just to get the image of a dancing naked France out of your head." Rizal answered as he took the keys to their hotel room. "But yeah, America is nice. I personally like Germany. All the buildings are really pretty and ancient."

"So are the buildings in England." Li Xiao answered.

"I dunno, I guess it's because it's made by Germans." He sighed. "So what time is it?"

"It's only noon." Li Xiao answered. "So we have about twenty four hours."

"OK, OK…" Charice blinked. "We're raiding Chinese restaurants."

"_**ALL RIGHT, DA ZE!"**_

"_Oh geez."_

**/=+=/**

Despite the craziness that happened, it was able to push time into the next day. Rizal was the first person up, already set up in his uniform and heading out to the lobby to get breakfast for the rest of the Asian nations. It was only seven, so he had all the time to figure out where the breakfast hall was.

"Having fun getting up early, da ze?"

"Eh?" Rizal turned around. "Yong Soo? I never knew you can wake up early."

"I had a hunch on something and wanted to see if it was right." The Korean folded his arms behind his head. "You seem really hasty of getting everything ready for you to head off to the meeting hall. You got a date there?"

"No…" Rizal tilted his head.

"Oh, don't lie to me. It's Germany, isn't it?"

"_**No."**_ He forced out.

"Your face is red, da ze! Don't lie to me! I've seen a face like that before!" Yong Soo laughed. "I've heard from Yao that you look up to him, so I'm right, right?"

"_**N-no…"**_

"Don't lie to me~!"

"…" He sighed. "Don't tell anyone?"

"Of course, da ze! If there was anything that Charice taught me, it's English and the ability to keep secrets!"

_Oh, I really hope so._

"So what're you doing now, da ze?"

"I was planning on getting everyone breakfast."

"Everyone, da ze? Can I help?"

"…_as long as you don't trip."_

"Yaaaaaay!"

The two of them got their breakfast trays and headed over to the halls in order to feed the others. Charice seemed to be the most pleased with the food, but then again she rarely had Chinese food while travelling and hence this was her godsend. It was through her slurping that Lin Yi begged to leave to the meeting hall early. _Just like Rizal wanted…_but not really.

"Hey, actually I have a question." Rizal turned to Li Xiao. "I thought that I'd bump into some of the Western Nations or something."

"Oh, I assigned them to another hotel, closer to the meeting hall in case someone slept in aru." Li Xiao answered. "The attendants there speak English, so I figured it'd be easier on them…not to mention that Arthur had brought his magic book with him again."

"Whaaaaat? Not again…" Lin Yi sighed. "What could he do this time?"

"_I don't want to know…"_ Charice mumbled.

"So are we being late today, da ze?" Yong Soo asked. "To make sure that we don't get cursed."

"Just act normal, aru. Besides, English wasn't one of the only things that Arthur had taught me."

_Faaaaaaaantastic._

Nonetheless, after a small protection charm, the five Asian nations headed off to the meeting hall with special caution. As they were walking, they saw Charice rub her chin and lag behind in their walk. Li Xiao quickly turned around in confusion.

"The spell affecting you?"

"No…I just remember seeing something last night." She lifted her hands. "Like some kind of flash or something coming from one of the buildings. I figured it was a festival, so I wasn't bothered…"

"We don't have a festival today…" Li Xiao lifted an eyebrow.

"Well…at least we don't have to worry about our asses in the meeting today." Rizal sighed.

Their paces quickened as they headed over the meeting hall, seeing Arthur staring at the entrance of the meeting hall and not moving at all. Li Xiao and Rizal stared at each other before walking ahead of the other three.

"Um…Arthur?" Rizal tilted his head forward. "You…OK?"

"Ve~~~this place really is big, isn't it Li Xiao?"

_S-say what now…?_ Rizal blinked in shock.

"I…I just heard a 've' around here…" Charice leaned forward. "Where's Feli-chan?"

"Um…" Li Xiao pointed at Arthur. "Right…here…"

England - ( = ヮ = )৩

Charice – (O_O)

"Holy crap _**FELI-CHAN GREW EYEBROWS!"**_

"T-that's Arthur, da ze!" Yong Soo gasped. "What's up with you?"

"I dunno…I just feel so happy and light-headed and so full of life…vee…"

"_**ARTHUR! GET OVER HERE THIS INSTANT! WE NEED YOU!"**_

Everyone froze as they saw Wang Yao stomp toward them with a kind of fire in his eyes, a fire that Rizal only sees in Ludwig. He grabbed Arthur's shoulder and started dragging him in, leaving the others to here a startled _"veeee!"_ as they headed further in.

"_**HEY, YOU FIVE! YOU'RE NEEDED TOO, SO HURRY UP!"**_

"All right, all right!" Lin Yi pouted. _"Geez, what's going on?"_

"I…want to say…identity crisis."

**/=+=/**

The five of them cautiously walked through the hallways while hearing Yao complain to Arthur about how he should be taking this meeting seriously, making the other nation whine about how he wanted to take another _"siesta"_ for the day. Nonetheless, Lin Yi was getting a little troubled.

"Um…what's going on?"

"Didn't you just ask this?" Charice looked at her. "Cause no one got an answer past that point."

"Still…it makes you wonder just what happened last night…" Rizal sighed.

"Perhaps I can tell you."

They turned to see Francis walking toward them, no sense of lust in his eyes _(for once…)_. He bowed patiently at them, and Charice hesitantly bowed back at him, causing a smile to paint Francis' face. The fact that he was so innocent was creepy enough…creepier than before.

"You know what happened?" Li Xiao asked.

"Last night, Arthur was trying to take revenge on Alfred on something he said during the meeting. I was in the room when he cast the spell…and I think he ended up switching our personalities." Francis answered calmly. "Though I have to admit, this is a nice improvement."

"You…switched…personalities…" Yong Soo blinked. "With…Kiku?"

"I think so." He answered. "I can't be Ludwig. But I can't go ask anyone, because none of them have a clue."

"So you're the only one aware of a spell…" Li Xiao sighed. "Good god, why us?"

"Well…wh-what's the worst that can happen?" Charice chuckled. "It's not like _**all of them**_ are affected-"

"_**Helloooo there, my siblings…**_you want to become one with me, hai?"

They all turned their heads to see Kiku walking toward them with a smile on his face. But that was being countered by a strange aura around him and…w-was he 'kolkol'ing underneath his breath…?

The five of them ran screaming into the meeting hall.

**/=+=/**

"_**THESE PEOPLE ARE MESSED UP, DA ZE!"**_

"_**What a way of taking my line, dammit!"**_ Charice screamed. "I mean, **seriously,** what the hell is- _**OOOOWWWWWW!"**_

"W-what?" Li Xiao turned around.

"I-I bumped into something!" She rubbed her forehead.

"But there's nothing in front of you." Lin Yi said.

"_I-I'm sorry! I didn't hurt you, Charice?"_

Charice blinked and saw a person that was slowly coming out of being invisible right in front of her _(startling all of them)_. But it wasn't Matthew that was in front of her…it was _**Antonio.**_ **ANTONIO'S** now the quiet one…?

…

"_**KKKYYYYYAAAAAAAAA! OF COURSE YOU DIDN'T HURT ME, QUIERIDO!"**_

"_A-ah! T-that's good…"_ Antonio lightly hugged her. _"I was worried that I did some damage to you…"_

"You don't know me at all, Annio-chan!" Charice chirped. "Hey, guys! Antonio and Matthew switched personalities!"

"No wonder he's so much cuter…" Lin Yi chirped.

_Oh god…_ Rizal sighed. _This day is getting messed up…_

"Hey, Antonio! Stop hitting on everyone, dammit!"

Everyone froze and saw Matthew stomping toward them _(and is that a tomato in his hand?)_, grabbing Antonio's collar and trying to pull him away, resulting with a tug-of-war between the Canadian and the Filipina. And Rizal could've _**sworn**_ that he heard Lovino laughing like Antonio just a few feet away. _God, it's affecting everyone…_

**/=+=/**

The five of them headed into the meeting hall after a few minutes of hesitation, finally allowing them to see the messed-up magic of Arthur Kirkland affecting the world that turned out to be there. Rizal turned his head and saw Ivan mumbling to himself in the corner. He stepped toward him.

"You OK, Ivan?"

"I-I'm fine, really!" He answered, sighing. "You don't have to be so worried…"

_Whoa, Ivan's a tsundere._ Rizal froze. _What could possibly be any weirder than this?_

"Helllooo there, Charice…nice to see that you've arrived…and look! You brought company!"

The five of them blinked as random daisy petals flew through the building _(but the windows were closed!)_ and a figured appeared before them. They turned their heads and saw Feliciano walking toward them, looking like a bishounen with a smile on his face…a rather…creepy stare on his face.

"…hi. There. Feli. Chan?" Charice tilted her head.

"Oh, look at that. You're shy…" Feliciano kissed her hand. "Don't worry about me, Charice. I know that you like to take things slow…I know all about you…"

"Uh…well…" Charice tilted her head the other way. "Nice to know?"

"_Aw…you're blushing…I've never seen you blush before…"_ Feliciano lightly kissed up her arm to the forearm. _"Such a lovely lady with a shade such as that-"_

_***POW!***_

"I'm sorry, Feliciano…but I felt that this was necessary." Rizal stretched out his arm. _"Not to mention that I've wanted to do that for a long time…"_

"Ow…such force!" The Italian lifted himself to his feet. "Don't you know how to show love?"

"I really do…_**just not to you."**_

"_God, can this GET any worse…?"_ Li Xiao mumbled.

A strange laugh echoed through the building…and I mean _**strange**_. Everyone froze and turned their heads to see Ludwig laughing like he sounded like Gilbert. The only problem was that he was eating a hamburger and seemed to take great joy in seeing his Italian buddy get punched in the face.

"Nice fight, Rizal! Dude, maybe you should get some lessons from Yao over there, cause _**that dude can PUNCH!"**_

"Will everyone please stop wasting our time? We have a meeting to attend to!" Yao dropped in his seat. "Can we please start this?"

Everyone sat in their seats, Rizal noticing that he was sitting next to the Americanized-Ludwig and his sister who was now cuddling and cooing the hell out of the Canadianized-Antonio. Nonetheless, nothing could be done because Kiku was asking everyone to be one with him and Ivan was being such a tsundere.

"We should be more focused, aru!" Alfred stood up. "Can we get some food, Yao?"

"_**No, we cannot allow food in here, Alfred."**_ Yao spat back.

"Awww…but _I'm huuunngggrrryyy…"_

Rizal pounded his head into the table. What could be the topping point of all this?

"Ahahahaha! God, I love hangin' with my homies!"

_God, kill me now._

**/= [OMAKE] =/**

**{ONE DAY LATER…}**

"O-oi…Rizal?"

"Eh? Ludwig? What, back to normal?"

"And remembering everything, unfortunately." He sighed. "D-did I…do anything while I was Alfred that...scarred you?"

"…nothing that breaking a few Chinese drinking laws could solve."

**/=+=/**

**Yes, indeed. Yes, yes indeed.**


	45. Who Stormed their Boundaries

**I've been waiting for a chance to write this chapter for a while. Just wanted to confirm a couple of things before I do…**

**/=+=/**

"Oi~! Rizal, hiiii!"

He looked up and sighed, seeing a rather cheery Alfred skip over to his location. Rizal was terrified what the hell he was going to do if Alfred wanted to do another crazy scheme with him. Charice had warned him on just how crazy he could get when it comes to plans.

"…_what do you want this time…?"_ He sighed.

"I wanted to ask you a question concerning the Philippines." He chirped. "You know, since I was one of the people who took you in my care."

_Took over us is the better term._ "Sure, shoot."

"How many nations tried to take over you?"

Rizal sighed. He hated talking about stuff like this. Did this guy seriously have no clue about his past whatsoever? He glared at Alfred, who still didn't have a clue. Why not? Let him share around the pain.

"…seven."

"_**DAMN!"**_ Alfred chirped.

"Yeah. First it was Matias. The guy couldn't handle much of me and got the hell out of there."

"Wow. Beat him, I see?"

"Sure, why not." Rizal sighed. "Then there was Antonio."

He shivered at the name.

"Antonio? You mean that guy over there?" Alfred laughed. "He must've been quite a fun person to be around."

"Oh, he was a _**hoot.**__**"**_ He spat back.

Personally, he didn't even want to be in the same room as that bastard. After over three hundred years of abusing him and his sister, it made what he was now fake and unreal. Part of him wondered if he was just going to snap and try to take them over again. His fingers clenched around the yo-yo in his pocket.

"Charice likes to hang out around him, you know!"

"_Yeah, I know."_ That's why he never trusted her alone with him. "And then your huggle buddy took me over for three years."

"Huggle buddy?"

"…Arthur." Rizal shook his head. "Was only able to take over Manila."

"For three years? Wow, that's sad!"

_Yeah, I know, compared to you._ Rizal shrugged. "Then there was Espen. He tried, but failed just as much as Matias. It wasn't even funny anymore."

"Wow, really?"

"Really. Pathetic. Not to mention that this was still while Arthur had Manila." Rizal pointed out. "After that, you came along. And the rest is history."

"Huh…" Alfred blinked. "So after me was just Kiku…and then-"

Rizal sighed in relief. Alfred didn't seem to notice that he had only named six countries, and that there was one more on the list. He held his head and took a deep breath, trying his best to push the name out of his mind. While it wasn't a horrible take-over at all, the mental effect seemed to dominate on him now.

"You gave us independence. For that, I am grateful." He glared. "But after the last time, I'm _**not**_ taking any chances."

That sentence even made Alfred shiver, but after a few minutes of trying to process that part of information, he heard Charice giggle senselessly and talk to Antonio with a chirp in her voice that made him twitch in fear yet again. His grip on his yo-yo was starting to strain his fingers.

"Well, I guess I can understand the angst." Alfred finally stated. "…but Charice seems to handle us well."

"That's because she's more open to westernization." Rizal stated. "She seemed to take some traits from anyone who stepped on our lands."

"Huh." He tilted his head. "Ooh, so what did she get from me?"

"…if I want to take any form of guess…your ability to operate on years on end."

"Ahahahaha! That's funny!"

_Or that. I don't even know what she got from you._ "From Arthur…um, she does seem to have a sixth sense. Not as much, but…"

"Really? There aren't such things as supernatural beings!"

_Not from what Charice had been telling me. _"Espen…probably gave her the seriousness that she has…" _Actually, Germany might've given her that. _"As well as her strange desires for…cute things."

"I thought that'd be Kiku's thing!"

"No, that's her otaku sense." He pointed out. "I'm not sure what Matias did, but for Spain-"

"_**YYYYYYAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"**_

"_**Feli-chaaaaaaaaaan!"**_

…

"Her extreme obsession with Italians?"

"Her extreme obsession with Italians."

***crash***

"And his idiocity."

**/=+=/**

**Matias**** is Portugal, just so you know. It's the Finnish and Portuguese version of the name "Matthias".**

**Epsen**** is the Netherlands.**

**And the seventh country that Rizal didn't want to mention was Germany. While Dewey was still in control of the Philippines, there was a German fleet that tried to invade, but it was fairly small since they didn't want to ignite a war with America just yet.**

**Don't ask where this came from.**


	46. How the Japanese are Easily Influenced

**You know what? I wanted to include this in Persona Powers, but now that I won't be going into filler anytime soon I decided to write it here. It makes it funnier.**

**/=+=/**

"Hey, Arthur?"

"Yeah?"

"Why in the world does your meeting hall have a library?"

"Y-you think it's _**strange?**_ Literature is one of the most beautiful things in the world!"

"I figured that much…but no one here reads, right?"

Arthur shook his head and mumbled to himself as Charice headed into the library anyway. She figured that the library _(albeit English)_ would have a place for her ever growing urge for manga. Sure enough, she found a _(rather small)_ section that was able to keep herself sane.

"…"

"Hah?"

She turned her head and saw a figure hiding in the back of the room. Charice lightly peeked through the hallway and saw a rather distressed Kiku mumbling to himself and trying not to make eye contact with anything or anyone…like he had a disease or whatnot.

"Hey, Kiku-san~!" She chirped.

"Hey, Chari-chan~!" He chirped.

Wait a minute.

_**Chirped?**_

"…did you just chirp?"

"Ah! _ I-I'm sorry." _He held his mouth. "I-I've just been talking to Feliciano recently to learn how he was so chirpy all the time…and he rubbed his influence on me."

"…you're trying to learn about Feli-chan?" _That's never good._ "And by influence, I guess that means you're talking like him."

"Yes…and it does not help that we Japanese are easily influenced." Kiku held his head. "P-please don't tell anyone what just happened."

"Eh? Don't tell a soul?" She laughed. "Aw, come on! It's rather entertaining to listen to, if you think about it!"

"N-noooo! Please don't do this! I'll do anything, just don't say anything~!"

…

"**AH!"**

…

"Excuse me…I believe I should go back into isolation for 250 more years…"

"…what? Isolation? **Hey, **_**hey **__**COME BACK HERE!**__** Where the hell **_am I going to get my Japanese dubbed anime now? **No, no ****get **_**OUTTA**__** the hole over there! **_No, **no!** _**NO**_ isolation policies! **Back, **_**BACK!**__**"**_

**/=+=/**

"So Kiku's easily influenced?" Rizal tilted his head.

"Yes." Ludwig looked rather worried. "It's usually centered around him getting influenced by Feliciano, but it happens."

"Is Kiku aware of this?"

"Yes. And it embarrasses him quite a lot. He keeps talking about isolation policies when he's discovered like that."

"…oh…" Rizal looked up. "Well…he's been hanging out with Charice a lot recently…"

…

_***insert epic German face here***_

**/=+=/**

**Cause it makes sense, right?**


	47. Rizal, Meet JRPGs

**This game is available on the iTouch for $9.99. This is all based off real events. Please do NOT murder me.**

**/=+=/**

"Kuya, kuya~!"

"Eh? What's up?"

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Playin' a new game I downloaded. You kept insisting that I try JRPGs, so I started with this one."

"What's it called?"

"Um, **SONG SUMMONER."** He pointed at the screen. "Apparently the fighters you use are taken from the songs that are on your iTouch."

"Oh…any song?"

"Yeah, basically."

"I remember this game." Kiku swung majestically into the scene _(how, we'll never know)_. "It's made by Square Enix."

"Seriously? Like, the Final Fantasy guys? Well, this game _**has**_ to be awesome!" Charice chuckled. "Hey, Kiku, guess what?"

"Hm?"

"Remember those songs that you wrote out that I ended up forcing everyone to sing at that bar a few days back?"

"Ah, yes. I remember that day. Marukaite Chikyuu were the words that were no longer usable in this meeting hall…"

"_Oh geez, I remember that…"_ Rizal sighed. _"You forced __**me**__ to sing it too…"_

"Well, I didn't save yours, but I did get the others onto my iTouch, as well as the rest of the drunken crowd at the time! I listen to them all the time!"

Rizal facepalmed.

"Oh, really? Well, did you get mine Charice?"

"Of course I did! It was one of the best versions, of course of course!"

"Why, thank you." If Rizal didn't know any better, he could've sworn that Kiku was blushing. "Well then, we should check on all of them, shall we?"

"We should, we should~!" Charice sat next to Rizal. "Do you know how to access anything?"

"Well, I just passed the tutorial…so I'm just about to create the fighters for my team." Rizal stated. "It's this icon here, right?"

"Yes, right there." She pointed out. "Actually, let's go to the table over there. You have to write a list on all these guys."

"Um…why?"

"It's part of JRPG planning, of course~!" She grinned. "I got the paper and everything!"

He shook his head and then headed over to the meeting table just as the other nations started to come in. Kiku only waved them in a way that seemed to say _'everything's good'_ as Charice explained all the interesting things that come out of this kind of thing, such as the stat upgrades and what this color means and whenever you got the awesome thing from a character or not.

"OK, are you ready kuya~?"

_It's not that interesting…_ "Sure, why not…? Show me the songs…"

"All right, it's all under this category _riiight _here…" Charice chuckled. "So that I always see them!"

"…_they're literally named Marukaite Chikyuu?"_

"Well, **DUH!"**

_Oh geez...and there's a whole list of them too…_ "Which one do you want to start off with…?"

"We go with Feli-chan's, of course! That one, over there!"

"Ve~~~are you guys talking about me?"

They all looked up and saw Feliciano staring at them with a confused look on his face, and they just realized that everyone else was staring at them as well. Charice was about to dismiss everything when she heard a familiar song ring out and Rizal confirming the choice. He sighed and stared at the image.

"OK…this song creates a…TR-808, rating C, Bronze Rank." Rizal started writing things down. "HP is normal, MP is low, Attack is low, yet Defense and Speed are high…"

"Eh?" Feliciano looked over Rizal's shoulder. "Ve~~~did I create that?"

"Your _song_ created that." Charice looked up at the picture. "A man in glasses and spandex. Huh."

"What the hell are you doing…?" Ludwig sighed.

"We're making RPG characters with songs you guys made, starting with Marukaite Chikyuu!" She clapped. "Oh! Let's do yours next!"

"_**WHAT?"**_

"Rizal, over there over there! Take it!"

"O…K." He made the choice. "Um…it made a Love Parade, rating C, Bronze Rank."

"Ohohohoho…" Francis laughed. "Sounds so _**girly…"**_

"Actually, he's pretty buff and carries a hammer." Rizal started writing everything down. "High Magical Stats, high HP, holds spells-"

"Doitsu's a spellcaster?" Feliciano 've~d' in surprise.

"A good one at that!" Charice laughed. "You should be proud, Doitsu-ki!"

He blushed in response.

"OK, we need to do someone else! Someone else, someone else!" She started clapping her hands together.

"Oh, here we go. China."

"_**Aiya!**_ D-don't, please aru!"

"Too bad, we're doing it." He pressed the button. "Her Majesty, rating B."

"_**AIYA!**_ My music did NOT just make a woman aru!" Yao ran to Rizal.

"Don't feel too bad. Her stats are better than what Veneizano and Germany made." Rizal wrote down. "Everything's orange, meaning that it's all increased and superior to the others hence far. I'm keeping this one."

"Ah…I see." Yao lifted himself back, proud. "I guess I can agree, aru."

"Ooh, ooh ooh ooh! What about my song?" Alfred chirped.

"Give me a minute…" Rizal typed it in. "Spotlight Kid, rating C. He's wearing a mask and looks rather weird. And half your stats are down."

"_**EH?"**_ He gasped.

"Well, let's try this one…OK. Ivan's also created a rated C Spotlight Kid. Thing is, most of the stats are doubled."

"Ah…quite interesting, da?"

"_**Oh COME ON!"**_ He panicked.

"Hey, let me look at something…" Charice took the iTouch. "Antonio's created an Electrochemical rated C, Silver Rank~! And look~! All the stats are good!"

"…fine. Keep it." Rizal shook his head.

"All right…and let's do this one…" Charice grinned. "Roderich's made a Candy Slice, rated C, Silver Rank. MP, Defense, Accuracy and Luck are up. The rest are downgraded. She has three spells."

"Keep it."

"Ohohohoho…are we using songs that we have sung?" Francis smiled. "Do you have my version…? The best one?"

"Oh, sorry dude. My computer somehow refused to download it to my iTouch."

***dong***

"I do, however, have one of your other songs." She pointed at the iTouch. "Paris is Indeed Splended~!"

"Oh, that song…" He grinned. "What did it create?"

"Um…Punk and Disorderly, rated B, Bronze Rank." She looked at the picture _(which is a transvestite. Who knew?)_. "It's…scary."

"Don't want."

"_**Thank you."**_

"Ooh, you have other songs?" Kiku looked up. "Which one do you want to check next?"

"This one! This song, right here!" She chirped. "Here we go! Feli-chan's song makes a Her Majesty, rating C!"

"What's the song's name?"

"Let's Boil Hot Water!"

"…what? God, is it about pasta?"

"It's about water!"

"…O…K."

"Oh, I know you'll like this one Doitsu-ki! It's your anthem, I AM GERMAN."

"_**W-what?"**_ His face was completely red. He never liked listening to his own singing.

"Here we go!" She chirped. "The Minimalist, rated C, Bronze Rank. High stats all around. Except for three."

"O-oh…" Ludwig blushed. "Y-you don't have to keep it."

"Oh no no no…if that's not in your liking…I have it in _**JAZZ."**_

"W-w-w-w-w-w-"

***click***

"Ah, a Fantastic Man, rated C, Bronze Rank~!" She chirped.

"…Fantastic…Man?" Ludwig blinked. "W-what's…Fantastic Man…?"

"Well, I only got one word for this: _**FABULOUUUUUSSSS!"**_

He blushed even more.

"Oh, by the way, I have a recording of that Marukaite Chikyuu from Feli-chan when he was able to hit that chibi voice!" She touched the button and grinned. "Oh…GOD."

"What? **What?"** Alfred jumped over her shoulders. _**"WHOA, DUDE!"**_

"W-what…?" Ludwig asked through a blush.

"Italy's squeaky version of that song made something manlier than your singing!"

The whole world went apeshit.

**/= [OMAKE] =/**

"Hey, Kiku, I have a question."

"Hm? What is it?"

"What does 'Marukaite Chikyuu' mean?"

"Oh, it means 'Draw a Circle, There's the Earth' in Japanese."

Rizal stared at Kiku for a few minutes before lifting up his finger and slowly drawing a circle in the air. He did it again and again for a few seconds before pausing and turning to Kiku.

"I don't get it."


	48. The Character Songs WAGE WAR!

**Cause sometimes you can't just walk into a meeting hall, can you? For benefits, I'm changing the page barriers for this one chapter. You'll understand soon enough, for my biased likings of songs will show up here.**

**/=+=/**

"We'll be late, Rizal! Come on, come on!"

"OK, OK!" _Why in the world is she willing to come to a world meeting today?_

Rizal sighed as she dragged him through the hallways and eyed the open door before them. Five seconds later, she was throwing him inside and someone was telling her to slam the door shut. He looked up confused and saw Matthew and Elizabeta sitting in two seats, two chairs between them for the twins to sit down. Charice did so, forcing him to join.

"…can I ask just what the hell is going on…?"

"It's one of those event meetings!" Elizabeta answered. "We're all talking about world tours today, so we decided that we're all going to sing a song in order to get in the room."

"And we don't because…?"

"_First four are the judges, and the winner gets tickets to all the world tours of Lady Gaga."_ Matthew chuckled.

"Oh…beautiful." He sighed. "So we have to go through hours of horrible song writing?"

"We have a neutral song already written if no one can figure out what to write about!" Charice chirped. "So you don't have to worry about it!"

_Fantastic._ "OK, one more question before I stay silent." Rizal looked up. "Why are we facing the windows?"

Barely had that escaped his lips when he saw the curtains close, leaving them in a quiet room _(who the hell closed the windows?)_. A few seconds after THAT mess, a strange sound echoed throughout the room, and the floor opened up to reveal a piano and what looked like a freakin' orchestra came out from underneath, led by none other than…Roderich?

"Everyone…please listen to this masterpiece that I have created." He started, sitting down at the piano. "I hope you come to enjoy this piece."

"_That you didn't write."_ Charice chuckled.

"You! Over there! Be quiet!"

**/= Austria's "Marukaite Chikyuu" =/**

* * *

"Please tell me how you think about it." Roderich asked.

"_It sounded really beautiful."_ Matthew clapped his hands.

"I expected nothing less from the Roderich Edelstein I'm used to!" Elizabeta clapped as well.

"Woo! Classical music from a Western Country is the best thing to start this contest off!" Charice turned to her brother. "Rizal?"

"OK, but…how the hell did you get all…that? The stuff behind you?"

"I was just able to, of course."

_Oh great. Guess I know how that happened._

"It's too bad though…" He said as the room returned to normal. "I wanted to be a music judge, since I am of course one in the musical talents."

"I'm up for it." Rizal said. "It's an even judge count."

"True, true!" Charice chirped.

The five of them sat wordlessly in the room, wondering if anyone was going to bother showing up at all, when the door opened _(are there any warnings about this whatsoever?)._ Rizal rolled his eyes as he saw a sweet young blond girl wearing a German coat _(making Charice shiver)_ and walked up wordlessly to the center of the room.

"So…I sing now, right?"

"Whenever you're ready, sweetie." Elizabeta answered.

"Exactly. Do not rush yourself, Erika. Take your time." Roderich answered.

**/= Liechtenstein's "Marukaite Chikyuu" =/**

* * *

Wow. Look at that. The first German girl she meets, and already Charice is flying over tables for her. Rizal barely blinked and a second later she was cooing over her for sheer cuteness factor. Surprisingly enough, the girl named Erika didn't seem to mind the attention.

"You must be Charice, the girl my brother talked about." She answered.

"Call me whatever you like, Eri-chi~!" Charice chirped out _(another nickname?)_. "Kuya, can we keep her? **PLEASE?"**

"_**NO.**__**"**_ He spat out. "She already has an older brother."

"Eh? You do?"

"The one that told you to speak out your opinion back in America, which to you meant that you should rip open Germany's shirt and kidnap Italy from the face of the planet." Roderich answered.

"Oh, the Swiss dude?" She looked down to her. "Oh yeah, you two look so similar!"

"_T-that's the one that likes carrying guns, right?"_

"_Yeah, that's the one."_ Roderich looked up. _"Who are you again?"_

"_Canada dayo…"_

"Speaking of Switzerland…" Elizabeta looked up. "Where is he? Will he attend this meeting?"

"Probably not, seeing as how this place will probably go to hell once Francis comes around." Rizal sighed. "Left you to fend for yourself."

After a few seconds of letting that sink in, Vash walked through the door. He obviously heard his statement, for he shot a glare at the Filipino before going to the middle of the room, staring at a rather ecstatic younger sister, and then opened his mouth.

**/= Switzerland's "Marukaite Chikyuu" =/**

* * *

"…you obviously didn't want to do this, huh?"

"You know me well, Rizal." Vash sighed. "But Erika insisted on it."

"Well, concerning the fact that you came in _**before**_ this place goes to hell, I guess I'll give you a point for that." He said. "Other rulings?"

"Your singing kinda reminds me of the fat lady that people says ends things."

***cha-CHK***

"B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-but it was good singing to say the least!" Charice panicked.

"_I liked how he jumped through two frequencies."_ Matthew smiled.

"At least a little bit of you hasn't changed."

"S-shut up, Roderich!"

Rizal looked up at the sudden tension between Vash and Roderich, wondering what the heck was going on there when the door opened again, hearing a long sigh before the door opened. The man looked something like a male Elizabeta…if it was possible.

"I guess I have to sing, huh?"

"Sure." Rizal shrugged. "Don't worry if you suck at it, the extremely horrible ones haven't showed up yet."

"Oh, OK…well, I guess I should be a little formal…or should I start singing now-?"

"_**Hey!**_ State what you're thinking!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let the man introduce yourself!" Charice pointed out. "So what's your name?"

"Oh, right…um…my name is Toris, L-Lithuania." He bowed. "I haven't prepared a song beforehand, so I'll sing the neutral song."

"All right then." Elizabeta smiled. "Whenever you're ready."

**/= Lithuania's "Marukaite Chikyuu" =/**

* * *

"I liked it a lot." Erika chirped.

"Wow…there is such thing as sanity among people!" Charice exclaimed.

If only it could apply to the people that _**mattered**__**…**_

"Very soft…mellow…not too over the top." Roderich clapped. "You were a little pitchy at times, but overall I like your musical accompaniment."

"Th-thank you. That is a great compliment, coming from you." Toris nodded again. "N-now I should take my seat…"

"OK, this makes you wonder…who could be next?"

It was around that time that a really grand entrance orchestra echoed throughout the room. Charice's eyes and ears instantly were entertained, while the others looked up in interest. Rizal was about to question who this could be when the door threw itself open, revealing the next figure.

**/= Poland's "Marukaite Chikyuu" =/**

* * *

…_well, so much for taking it seriously._

"Now, tell me how totally perfect that was!" The man chirped.

"It was so _**entertaining **_and _**thrilling!"**_ Charice jumped up and down, still dancing with the orchestra pieces stuck in her head. "La la la la laaaaaaa~"

"I have to admit that these are fine pieces…but the structure of how everything is…well, I have to admit it was quite too random for this." Roderich stated. "I didn't know what kind of song I was listening to."

"_Well, at least he has a good singing voice."_ Matthew stated.

"Which is a good point. I'll give you a point for that." Roderich stated.

"I thought it was fun." Elizabeta answered with a smile. "Very happy, and truly yours."

"…it was catchy…and you kept in pitch half the time." Rizal stated.

"Which is how I, like, wanted it to be!" He turned his head. "Oh, that's a total bummer! I missed Toris' singing!"

"It wasn't that bad either!" Erika answered.

"**Oh, that's TOTALLY a bummer!"**

Rizal looked at the two best friends mumbling with each other for a few minutes before realizing that they were just waiting for the main people to come in…meaning that they were either writing their songs as of right now or deciding to ditch for the time being. He wouldn't be surprised anymore.

Barely had the room settled down to something resembling _calming_ when the lights went out. Glowing sakura blossoms _(say what now?)_ blew in all their faces as a spotlight fell upon a rather familiar looking figure bearing a sword at his side and a rather small smile on his face.

**/= Japan's "Country from Where the Sun Rises Zipangu" =/**

* * *

The song mellowed out, leaving the rest of the room to stare extremely at the rather uneasy Japanese man. Rizal could understand, with the fifty eyeballs aiming right at him and he was the man who loved isolation policies, especially at this point.

"You never went above what your vocal chords can handle." Roderich clapped. "I guess I expect nothing less from the Japanese."

"Thank you." Kiku bowed.

"Hey. Has anyone told you how much of a sexy beast you are when you sing?"

Rizal blinked. He was somewhat _(just BARELY)_ expecting Charice to state it out loud. The fact that the guy whose name he barely caught as Feliks said the same thing unnerved him _just_ a little bit. And by the look on his face, it also unnerved Kiku.

"_T-thank you…"_ He answered, blushing at Charice.

"Can we keep him, kuya~?"

"You already have Feliciano, now sit down."

She frowned before dragging Kiku to the seat next to her _(which is next to Matthew out of all people…more cuddle objects, he guessed)_, while she proceeded to chirp about the total awesomeness that he radiated and how he was totally getting her vote. Rizal was about to say something when something exploded in his face.

**/= China's "Nihao China" =/**

* * *

"Having fun with the fireworks, I see?"

"Fireworks are one of the many things that I have created, aru!" Yao answered with a smile. "Why should I not use them if I can?"

"Because you just, like, set Matthew's head on fire~!"

Rizal was about to say something when Vash and Erika both threw a wet towel on Matthew's head, making him _"eep"_ in surprise and resulted in another bone-crushing hug from the rather Cute-Obsessed fangirl sitting next to him. The room mellowed out after that, leaving Rizal to think.

_God, this world is going to hell…_ He sighed. _At least none of them seem that expensi-_

"**HEY YOU GUYS! HAHAHAAAA!"**

_What the hell…?_

**/= America's "Hamburger Street" =/**

* * *

"Soooo, what do you think?"

"I probably would've liked it better if you weren't throwing hamburgers in people's faces." Rizal sighed, removing the cheese from his face.

"You're just complaining cause you didn't get one that was fully intact~!" Charice chirped, eating her hamburger.

"No, that complaint comes from me too." Elizabeta sighed, grateful she avoided the ketchup that spattered her ex-husband's face.

"Hey, America." Vash spat. "Be careful with that or else I am cutting down the amount of chocolate that I export to you."

"_**NOOOOOO!"**_

Five minutes later, people were stuck between cleaning up burger bits from the meeting hall and watching a rather sobby faced Alfred begging for Vash to reconsider for he cannot live without his chocolate. Rizal turned his head and saw a rather shocked Matthew with a hamburger still in his face.

"You need help there?"

"…_I-I just needed the shock to go away."_ He answered, removing the hamburger. _"But thank you for asking."_

"Of course. Cause god knows what the heck these people are going to throw at us."

Barely had that thought fully processed when he heard something that seemed to resemble a snake charmer's flute. He saw the lights go out when smoke finally came out of the ground and the next contestant came up for their national debut.

**/= England's "Pub and GO!" =/**

* * *

"Hey, Arthur."

"Yeah, Rizal?"

"Is your song over?"

"Yeah, why?"

"_**PUT SOME CLOTHES ON, DAMMIT!"**_

And Rizal was entertained yet again by Vash's gunfire that almost hit Toris in the head. Matthew, being invisible at this time, didn't have to worry, but everyone else was ducking underneath tables just to live another freakin' day. This went on for another few minutes until the door normally opened, revealing Ivan. Toris whimpered.

"This is where the singing is, da?"

"Yep, this is it…I guess…" Charice looked shifty-eyed.

"OK."

**/= Russia's "Pechka" =/**

* * *

"Simple…clean…nothing too dramatic." Roderich nodded.

"Yeah, except for the _**bloody**_ sunflower petals that went into my eye!"

"That's cause you didn't blink in time, dude!"

"_**THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"**_

_And this is why modern day politics get us NOWHERE._

Another argument blew out as Ivan sat next to Toris and began to laugh in a way that started to make him cry. The lights went out again _(doesn't this damage the light bulbs?)_ as a guitar echoed out and yet MORE roses flew through the room. A spotlight turned on.

**/= Spain's "La Pasion no se Detiene" =/**

* * *

"Very…Spanish." Charice chirped.

"_The laughing scared me."_ Matthew stated.

_And who the hell started speaking within the song…?_ "Well…I think it was…OK." Rizal said, still iffy.

"Ahahaha! At least you like it!" Antonio posed. "Ole!"

"Whoot." He responded.

The stage exploded behind Antonio _(the bastard didn't even seem to NOTICE)_ as yet ANOTHER singer came into the fray.

**/= France's "Paris is Indeed Splendid" =/**

…

"_**HEY!**_ Hands off my sister, you French whore!"

* * *

How in the world Francis was able to throw off a show while still avoiding Swiss gunfire was perhaps the most entertaining thing of the entire moment. Nonetheless, Rizal decided not to note on it, deciding instead to see the rather blank / traumatized look on Matthew's face.

"_And that was the guy that RAISED you."_

"…_it's still weird to think about it…"_

"_No kidding…"_ He laughed. _"The gunfire's more entertaining than this."_

After a few minutes of chasing that around, they heard something that reminded them of Roderich's music if he ever came out of a metal band concert mixed in with something from Hans Zimmer's work.

"Oh yeah, now _**this **_is, like…**TOTALLY** music!" Feliks started dancing around.

"This is…loud." Kiku sighed.

"But this is still freakin' **GREAT!"** Charice jumped on the table. "Who's singing this one?"

**/= Prussia's "Mein Gott" =/**

"_**DAMMIIIIIIIIIIIIT!**__**"**_

* * *

"So! What do you think of this totally _**awesome**_ song?"

"It sounded good…" Rizal said with a straight face. "Until you started singing."

"Hey! I'm too **AWESOME** to be a horrible singer!"

"Whatever. Now excuse me while I gouge my ears out with the cotton swabs that Elizabeta was nice enough to bring…"

"_**WE HAVE THOSE?"**_ Toris looked up. "Pass them over here!"

So there were cotton swabs being passed around, leaving Rizal just a little more cleansed of the entire situation. It helped the sanity levels rise, but it didn't help that Gilbert kept insisting that he was awesome and wanted a round two _(chorusing a loud __**"FUCK NO!"**__ from the crowd)_. He would've thought he'd get the hint after Antonio's oblivious ears started bleeding.

"Well, so much for quality talent." Roderich sighed, cleaning his ears out for the nineteenth time.

"I know." Charice sighed. "Part of me is wondering if I even want to stay."

"You're free to leave. But please take me with you."

"Of course, kuya. I guess we can-"

**/= Italy Romano's "The Delicious Tomato Song" =/**

"_**Fuck yes **_someone get my camera."

He sighed.

* * *

"_**GET THE FUCK OFF ME, CHARICE!"**_

"But I wanted to congratulate you, Lovi-chaaan!"

"_**It's LOVINO!"**_

"Ah, Lovi-chan~"

"**Dammit **Antonio _**not you too!"**_

"Awwww, Lovi-chan is like a totally cute name!"

"OK, _**you STAY OUT OF THIS!"**_

Rizal stared at them for a few minutes before realizing that Feliciano wasn't too far away if he was here. And he would be right about that. For a few minutes later he had pulled up a stove, plopped a pot on it, and the music kicked up. It sounded…mellow?

**/= Italy Veneziano's "Let's Boil Hot Water!" =/**

…what the hell?

"_Charice…what the hell is this song about?"_

"_It's about Feli-chan's love!"_

"…_it's about pasta?"_

"**IT'S ABOUT ****WATER!****"**

Again, what the hell?

"Oh come on! Yeah, he's cute, but I'm totally more **awesome** and _**better**_ than he is!"

And the song had to stop because of three reasons. 1) The stove working the pot malfunctioned, and there was no more motivation for him to start singing. 2) Rizal had stolen the pot that was on the stove _(with hot water in it)_. And 3) Rizal dumped the water on Gilbert's head.

* * *

"I had to admit, that scream was fun da?"

"It was loud aru…right next to my ear…"

"Ve~~~will he be alright?"

"_**Let's really hope so…"**_

Rizal folded his arms and sighed, leaning his head back. It was then that he realized that Ludwig hadn't showed up for the meeting. Maybe he decided that his dignity was worth saving and skipped out of a meeting for once. He really, _**really**_ wished he would be there with him. To ditch out of this crazy ass meeting. Yeah. That was the reason.

After a few seconds of contemplating how to throw himself out the window, he heard something that sounded like marching music. His eyes widened as the ground slowly opened up, revealing that there were soldiers _**all over the place.**_ Vash and Ivan seemed to like it, while the others seemed a little freaked out. Especially Charice.

Cause guess what?

They're all GERMAN!

**/= Germany's "Germany's Theme – I Am German Made" =/**

Let's just say that the scenes where he starts screaming to Feliciano out of nowhere, he hid behind Charice and cowered.

* * *

"Well, that was…lively." Elizabeta blinked.

"Loud." Roderich sighed.

Meanwhile, the world knew what Rizal meant of the German-phobia, even if Ludwig really was a sexy beast. She was in her seat, pale as can be, staring at absolutely **nothing** and muttering some choice Filipino words underneath her breath.

"I think you broke her." Antonio laughed.

"That's not a good thing." Ludwig sighed. "Charice? Are you in there?"

"Quick! Someone make a cute noise or something!" Kiku stated. "The Cute-Obsession mode is the only thing that can save her!"

"Ce que…this is getting troublesome…"

"Ve~~~what if I try it?"

"Well, you're cute enough-"

"Nope, totally not awesome to be cute." Gilbert winked. "Not as you are, of course!"

"Ve! C-Charice always calls me cute!"

"But can you be cute enough to save her?"

"…of course I can." He chirped, turning to Charice with a determined look on his face. "I can do this…I can be cute enough to save her…"

"No Feli _**DON'T!**__**"**_

**/= Chibitalia's "Marukaite Chikyuu" =/**

I don't even have to tell you how that goes.

**/=+=/**

**And the songs get their vengeance on me.**


	49. On the Road to Forgiveness

**This is kinda late, but I really wanted to write about this, especially with the twins. History wise, of course.**

**/= [1684] =/**

He hated the Spaniard with all his guts. No matter what, he was constantly abusing him and his sister for his own personal gains. And he didn't even seem to care about it. Out of all the nations that have tried to take over them, none of them could ever match his hatred for that man. He wanted him to suffer. He wanted him to die a slow and painful death.

Make that bastard feel everything that he had done to them.

**/= [2011] =/**

Rizal knew something was wrong the minute he saw Charice's face go completely pale on the screen.

He looked up next to her and saw that the computer was screaming headlines that never hit the TV: **"SPAIN EARTHQUAKES 2011: TWO TEMBLORS CAUSE MULTIPLE DEATHS."** The article went on to say things such as where it struck and what magnitude it was. It wasn't anything near, say, Kiku's levels, but a 5.5 was still an earthquake.

"Hm…so the bastard Spaniard finally got a big blow in the 21st Century." He sighed / spat. "Oh well, he was always prone to the shakes."

"Kuya…people died in this." Charice stated. "God, how is Antonio now…?"

"He's fine, don't worry about it." Rizal countered. "Spain gets earthquakes every year, nothing that big a deal. Come on, I even saw him today. He blew it all off with that idiotic smile on his face, no big deal."

"How can you even **say** something like that, kuya?"

"I'm just not that worried." Secretly, he was pleased. The one that happened in 1956, while a lot heavier, seemed to be a distant memory now. "He's a nation, he'll be fine."

"…I really hope so."

She started biting her lip and thumb, making Rizal turn his head in confusion and sigh quietly to himself. _Since when did she start caring for that son of a bitch anyway? Had she forgotten everything that happened between the both of us?_

**/=+=/**

He decided that he was going to go ahead of Charice to the meeting hall in order to clean up the mess that she and Alfred started _(concerning the fact that somehow a FOOD FIGHT started?)_. As he headed toward the place, he saw a familiar person walking in front of him in a slow pace. He really didn't want to talk to him, but he turned around and smiled.

"Hola, Rizal." He smiled.

"…tch." Guess there was no way around it. "Kumusta, Antonio."

Just to be nice, Rizal went up to walk next to the Spaniard, who seemed surprised and ultimately happy at that notion. But when he realized that he wasn't going to say another word, he decided to drop the topic. That surprised Rizal, for Antonio was a guy who never seemed to know what the hell the situation was doing. It was then that he realized that he was walking with a strange yet hidden limp.

"What's wrong with your leg?"

"Eh? Oh, I just twisted my ankle, no big deal." He laughed. "Don't worry about it."

"I'm not. I'm just remarking." Rizal spat. _So the bastard's going to lie about it now?_

It was about that time that a little boy kicked a soccer ball toward their direction and smacked Antonio in the back. Normally, it would leave him with a bit of pain that he would continually keep questioning until Rizal finally decided that he was annoying and tell him that he got smacked with a soccer ball. He opened his mouth in order to tell him-

And instead saw a small spatter of blood.

He blinked as he saw a huge gash open up on Antonio's back and blood come out of his lips, then saw him crash into the ground. Five seconds later, Rizal knelt down to his side as people started panicking and calling for an ambulance. Antonio's eyes opened weakly, and for the first time he saw pain and vulnerability in them.

"_Hah…hah…"_ He was actually smiling in this moment. _"No worries…I'm…still fine…"_

"You're coughing up blood, dumbass." Rizal spat. "You're not fine."

"…_you worry too much…Ri…zal…"_

Next thing he knew, he was calling up an ambulance on his own phone. He had no idea what was running through his blood. Was it fear?

**/=+=/**

Five seconds later, everyone was waiting in the hospital room for any news on the Spaniard. Feliciano was crying on Charice's shoulder, Gilbert and Francis were talking to themselves, and Lovino was nowhere to be found. Rizal couldn't help but note this, though he did find him sitting in front of the door to Antonio's room cursing to himself.

"Are you OK?"

Lovino didn't say anything, leaving Rizal to stare at the door holding the Spaniard. For some reason, he actually felt scared about what was going to happen next. What was going to happen to Antonio…?

"Hey, you bastard."

"Hm?"

"Did Antonio say anything about this?"

"…no. He just said hi and tried to talk to me." He answered, sighing. "It was only after he got hit with a ball that all this happened."

"It was because of the earthquake. He can't use his leg properly now because of it." Lovino spat. "I can't believe he's not using that damn crutch."

"He's on crutches?"

"He's _**supposed**_ to be on them, but like the dumbass would ever show vulnerability." Lovino sighed. "He never liked showing them to me."

"No?"

"He was either worried about me or liked showing off, I don't even know anymore." He looked up. "Maybe he was worried about me."

"…Antonio must've really cared about you back then."

"Fucking bitch cared for me like his freakin' baby. I hated it." He sighed. "Wanted to make me stronger or whatnot."

It was then that he knew. Antonio wasn't a completely heartless douchebag back then. He had a feeling about it, but for some reason it's affecting him now. It was also then that he understood why Charice didn't hate him anymore: she knew about this all along. Rizal rubbed his forehead. Why in the world was he worrying now…?

**/=+=/**

After a few minutes, visitors were allowed. Everyone spent hours standing by his side, wondering if the earthquake had affected him that much. It was the same as with Kiku, but they had no idea he was going to be in a coma for this long. People kept leaving even more worried than when they entered. He took a breath and entered the room.

Antonio was sleeping on the bedside, the heart monitors saying that everything was all right with him. He sighed and took a seat next to him, staring at the innocent face that he had never seen in the last three hundred years of his life with him and yet probably showered Lovino with.

"…I should've known that you have weaknesses. I've exploited a lot of them before." He sighed. "So how in the world did I not know about something like this?"

He was sleeping, making this less awkward.

"Here I thought you were like Ivan or something, playing nice just to get back my sister for your own needs. How was I supposed to know that you had a heart?" He looked to the window. "I guess we're no different…I guess I did get something from you."

He sighed, his past running through his mind.

"I'll never forget everything that happened between the both of us…and I might not ever completely forgive you…but at least I can finally start now." He sighed. "Now don't you go dying on us or else I'm going to see Lovino crying for once."

He left the room, not seeing Antonio's eyes slowly open and tear just a little.

**/=+=/**

**There was an earthquake a few months after Japan's earthquake in the south-eastern part of Spain, causing 12 deaths and 70 injuries. They are still recovering, but a lot better than Japan.**


	50. Nyotalia Filipina

**Someone requested that I do this…and I figured that I might as well do it anyway. Besides, I learned something…new…about my characters…**

**/=+=/**

She knew that something was wrong the minute she woke up.

First of all, she woke up feeling a little taller than usual. Secondly, _what the hell was resting on her legs?_ She sat up in confusion and lifted up the covers…before running into the bathroom to stare at herself in the mirror. Instead of her usual baby face, the mirror reflected semi-long spiky black hair and a bishounen-like face. She leaned back for a minute before staring at her stomach.

…

"_**Kuya!**_ You won't believe this! I think I turned into a bishounen, tsu po!"

"_Mmn…why the hell do you think that…?"_

"Dude, look at me tsu po! I have **abs!****"**

Rizal stirred from his sleep and sat up, revealing that he had been sleeping topless that night _(a common thing that he'd do)_…unfortunately, he seemed to have gained a serious woman's face and long, silky black hair…and boobs that made Charice cock an eyebrow. Then reality hit her.

"_**HEY! COVER UP TSU PO!"**_

He looked down before realizing the transformation, immediately grabbing the covers to cover his newly formed chest. Charice blinked for a few minutes before she straightened herself and rubbed the back of her head _(ooh, silky hair~!)_. She then proceeded to shy.

"At least they were generous with you…"

"D-don't say that! I'm a woman now!" He screamed. "Crap…and we have a meeting today…"

"…guess we're switching clothes tsu po!"

"…why the heck are you saying that?"

"Saying what?"

"…nevermind. Let's just switch clothes."

**/=+=/**

"MAN we're lucky! At least whatever changed our gender changed our clothes color too! I don't think I can handle wearing blue tsu po!"

"Whatever…all I want to do is bash the hell out of Arthur once I get to see the bloody frog." Rizal looked up. "Well, as long as we're like this we're going to have to go under different names."

"Hah?"

"I mean, you look like a man now. There's no way ordinary people are going to believe it if you say your name is Charice, right? We need new names for now-"

"_**IZZY."**_

"…hah?"

"I want my name to be Izzy!" Charice clapped her hands. "How bout you, tsu po?"

"…Susan."

"That's…totally ordinary, tsu po."

"I like ordinary." Susan sighed. "So I'll go with it."

"Whatever works, tsu po!" Izzy laughed. "Hey, do you think everyone else is affected?"

"I really hope not…" Susan flipped her hair. "But I know I'm wrong."

"All right, let's go check this out!"

The two of them headed further into the roads until they found the meeting hall that they were supposed to meet in. Once they opened the door, they saw Germany pacing back and forth in a somewhat worried manner. Something was up, for his hair wasn't slicked back and his uniform was longer…almost like a jacket and not a uniform. He quickly noticed their presence.

"Oh…so you've been changed as well…?" His voice was…higher pitched than usual, but still somewhat deep.

"Yeah…so you're a woman now?" Susan asked. "You…don't look any different."

Germany sighed before lowering her arms, making Izzy stare at her chest for a few minutes. After a few seconds, Germany was extremely uncomfortable with the attention and covered her chest again. Izzy looked at her in the eyes before pointing at her chest.

"Dude, if we turn back to normal, we should make a trade." He stated. "My abs, your rack. We both benefit from it."

"H-hey! Don't talk about it so openly!" She panicked.

"Hey, I'm a man. Izzy Pacquiao, at your service, and I can talk about boobs openly, tsu po!" He laughed. "Besides, why the hell are you being graciously given boobs?"

"_I-I don't know…"_ Germany mumbled.

"Are you changing human names for now?" Susan asked. "Cause we changed ours."

"…it's Monika." She answered. "You?"

"I'm Susan."

"Oh…" She sighed. "Well, I am sad to say that everyone's been affected."

"Really? Everyone's a woman now?" Izzy laughed. "Sweet! Now this can _**officially**_ be my whorehouse!"

"…really, kuya?" Susan sighed.

"**TOTALLY!"** He grinned. "Now let's go!"

**/=+=/**

They continued through the building while Monika and Susan were talking, before Izzy noticed two women talking to each other. One looked like a Japanese girl with short black hair, and the other was a girl with a knee-cut uniform and a ponytail with a curl next to her neck. They looked up.

"Ve~~~Monika~!" The curled girl chirped. "You're back!"

"…hello there…Felicia…" Monika responded. "How are you…?"

"It feels a little awkward in this…but-"

***tackle***

"_**Dude, ate! Feli-chan looks even cuter as a woman!"**_

"Ve~~~~~! C-Charice, is that you…?"

"It's Izzy now, Madame~!" Izzy laughed. "And I'm now so much manlier than anyone here!"

Felicia laughed and cuddled close to Izzy's chest while he struck his bishounen pose _(making Susan and Monika stare at them for a few minutes)_, making Japan step in front of them to take pictures, still surprised by everything that was happening. Monika sighed.

"Sakura…please show some respect."

"I-I'm sorry…" Sakura apologized. "Th-this is just so fascinating…"

"Take as many pics as you want tsu po!" Izzy laughed. "Cause no one can get _**any**_ manlier than this!"

"Oh geez…"

**/=+=/**

The five of them entered the meeting hall, seeing that the other nations have turned into women as well. America was showing off her midrift and bragging about the coolness of her human name_ (which apparently was Abby or something)_ to England, addressing her as "Rosa" for some reason. France was being a snob, making fun of China's clothes, and meanwhile the female Russia was laughing and poking Canada. Susan caught Canada's name to be Maguerite.

"So they're all women…" Susan blinked.

"Yes, unfortunately." Monika sighed. "A lot of them were surprised, but Abby seemed to like it."

"Great…which one is England?"

"That would be Rosa, over there."

"Thank you…" She turned her head.

"Hey, uh…Susan, right?"

"That's the name."

"…you look a little nice."

She blushed. "You too, Monika."

Susan walked toward Rosa and tapped her shoulder, making the Brit turn around and stare at the rather peeved looking Filipina that was glaring back at her, her feet tapping on the ground and a slingshot spinning over her finger.

"What spell were you casting this time?" She spat.

"I-it was just a charm to make my cooking better, that's all!" Rosa remarked. "This is temporary, I swear!"

"You _**better**_ hope it's temporary."

"Why would you hope…?"

"_**All right, they're all women! As of today, you are **__**ALL**__** my **__**bitches**__** tsu po!"**_

"…yeah."

**/=+=/**

**So apparently Charice's Nyotalia form is that of a man who loves hitting on women and has no Cute-Obsession syndrome. Yeah, odd.**


	51. The Disney Wars

**I am a huge fan of multilingual videos, and after I listened to a few of them, this came to my mind. Please don't ask.**

**/=+=/**

There was something weird going on in the meeting hall when Rizal walked in. First off, they were in a UN building. Secondly, no one was saying anything to each other. As they walked through the hallways, he even noticed that the Italians weren't talking to the others. But what really worried him was that Charice seemed to be fine with it.

_What the hell is going on here…?_

She quietly sat in a seat in the UN, allowing Rizal to sit next to her. He turned his head and saw that everyone was now glaring at each other, not saying anything about anything at all. He couldn't help but wonder if there was some kind of war that was gonna happen. How could Charice be calm at a time like this…?

Around that time, he looked up and saw that even Ludwig was glaring at Lovino. He was talking calmly to Roderich and Vash, so he knew that there was something good going on. Before he knew it, Alfred and Arthur walked out toward the center and the place went dead silent.

And the silence actually lasted for a few minutes.

"Gentlemen, ladies…the both of us are glad to see that everyone had showed up for today's meeting." Alfred pushed up his glasses. "We have given you the papers for what is happening, but for those of you who haven't gotten the memo, we will fill you in now. Arthur?"

Rizal looked around in confusion. He was never the one who had no clue what was going on. It was always Charice, and she would always express it openly. He had no idea what to ask anyone in this situation, as any question can start off a war. The Englishman turned on the projector as the camera flashed to reveal…

**Tangled?**

"As you already know, my people have created this movie a few months ago and had won a few awards. Of course, that means that it will be scheduled for international releases." Alfred grinned. "So now it's your turn to win the international audiences. The last movie **Princess and the Frog** was won by Poland in a neck-to-neck battle with Lithuania and Russia, so let's hope we can get this margin a little farther away next time!"

"The song that you will be submitting for this contest is I See the Light, the song that was nominated for an Academy Award in America's national awards ceremony. The minimum time you have is at least three months for dubbing, so let's hope we see it soon." Arthur straightened himself. "If there are any questions that you wish to ask, please ask before you leave. That will be all for the briefing."

The whole room rose from their seats and immediately started with their pep talks and their arguments, making Rizal even more confused. He turned his head and saw Charice laughing at everyone as a fight looked like it was going to start up.

"Um…ate? What just happened?"

"Eh? Oh, this is just a shot to get national pride." She laughed. "I like to call them **The Disney Wars**, though it's a little inaccurate cause it can go with anything really."

"…I'm now confused."

"Rizal Pacquiao, confused? Now that's something you don't hear every day!" He heard Alfred laugh. "What's there to be confused about?"

"Well, first of all, how did these things even start? Me and Charice usually just watch the English dubs."

"Well, the others usually dub my movies to their certain languages." Alfred stated. "After a while, it became a bit of an argument of national pride and after that, well, everyone wanted to get the best dub!"

"And you're not in the war?"

"Cause we all know that the English versions are the best versions!"

_Suuuuuuure they are._ "So now what? Who're the judges in this…war thing?"

"Me, Artie here…and why not? You two can be judges!"

"_**Hah?"**_ Rizal's face went red.

"Sweet! I want to hear all these songs now!" Charice clapped her hands together. "Come on, Rizal! We can't wait until everyone's done!"

"_Sure…OK…why not…"_ He sighed and looked up. "Are we even going to get any international work done or something?"

"During these wars, no one really talks to each other." Arthur sighed. "Unless there's an attack or treaties that have to be written up. Even then, it's pure business. No one really makes small talk unless you're not participating in the contest."

"But have you _**seen**_ the tension in the room?" Alfred laughed. "I haven't seen anything this tense since **Hercules!****"**

"Really?" Charice looked up. "I say the worst tension was during **Prince of Egypt!** People were literally singing over each other!"

"No, it was definitely around the time **Tarzan** came around." Arthur rubbed his chin. "They were all tugging my English-born singer around for cheating points."

"Didn't the French version win there?" Charice asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Alfred sighed. "Man, you should've seen the look on Lovino's face when he learned that he didn't win! It sent you flying across the room!"

"Hey, it was awesome!" She squeaked.

"…_**why**_ were you flying across the room?" Rizal asked.

"Well, DUH! Because angry and flustered tsunderes are freakin' _**HOT!**__**"**_

It was about that time that Arthur took his cue to leave the continent.

**/=+=/**

The big day finally came, and everyone was sitting anxiously in their seats for the playbacks to be revealed. They don't reveal them for the chance of any bribery to be started. But Rizal had his own issues, for he was sitting _(again)_ next to Ludwig and his sister. He decided to risk it.

"So…how are you, Ludwig?"

"Eh? I-I've been doing all right." He answered softly, almost like he was tired. "We've been working on this for a while."

"I can assume that you did." Rizal stated. "…well, Charice barely told me what all this was about, so I'm not really sure what really is going on."

"You didn't participate?"

"Well, my people speak English, so we don't really need a dubbed version." He stated again, trying to sound professional. "But apparently we all get to vote for our favorites or something like that."

"Yeah, everyone votes for their favorite versions! The rule is that you can vote for as many versions as you want, but you can't vote for your own!" Charice leaned forward into the conversation. "But I already know that you have Rizal's vote, Doitsu-ki!"

"C-Charice!" He stuttered, extremely embarrassed.

"W-why's that?" The German asked, embarrassed as well.

"Cause my brother just _**loves**_ the German culture! Um…past all the Nazis and Hitler stuff, but you know what I mean!" She chirped and clapped her hands together. "I mean, he'd probably marry you on the spot if you were available and cater to your every need!"

The both of them blushed extremely. Ludwig blushed because this was something about marriage, a topic that he's not really good in as of yet. Rizal blushed because…well, he's Rizal. If you didn't get it now, you'll never get it in the future…kinda like his sister at this point.

"All right, everyone! All the copies have been gathered together!" Alfred lifted his finger in the air. "Your iPods on the table have been uploaded with all the versions, so listen to each one and check off which ones you like! We have all week to decide, and once we get all the ones that are good, then we go to the finals!"

"_Yay…"_ Rizal sighed.

**/=+=/**

It was in the middle of the night, around eight or nine, that Charice went for a walk.

She had been voting for quite a few versions of the song _(European French, Korean and Swedish definitely got her vote while the Russian is still straddling her choice)_, but the European Spanish really hit her. Maybe it was because the singer sounded like Antonio? For some reason, she liked songs that had voices that sounded like her nation friends. She had no idea why. Her only guess is that it runs her extremely crazy imagination.

As she closed her eyes and sank into the park bench, she could barely see the lights of New York erupt behind her eyelids as she pressed the "Play" button again. Her eyes opened and she was no longer in New York City: she was now walking on glass above water, the surroundings nothing more than floating lamps. The song was barely playing behind her as she saw lamps move out of the way and Antonio walked out of the lights with that smile on his face.

Were they singing with each other? Well, she was singing, he was singing, it was all at the same time, so…they must be singing with each other. Half way through, she realized something: there was a strange sparkle in his eye. That sparkle scared her for a minute, cause that was a sparkle she only saw him give the Italian brothers. It made her heart flip a couple times.

The lamps were getting closer and closer, forcing them to walk closer to each other until they could literally touch each other's fingertips. She risked looking into his eyes and caught him mutter something in Spanish that she couldn't understand before they finally hugged each other. For the first time, she thought she felt a sort of fatherly love coming from him…if this warm feeling in her was fatherly…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Ahahaha! You'll catch a cold if you sleep out here, Charice!"

"_**GAAAAAAAAAAH!"**_

She jumped backward and saw an oblivious Antonio standing over her, wearing a dark blue jacket and tan pants as well as that freakishly happy grin on his face. It made her heart flip just a little bit…but it was nothing that big, right? Totally.

"Don't. _**Do.**_ That!" She panicked. "This is America, you know!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" He said with a laugh _(which means that he totally didn't care)_. "I just thought you were cold!"

"A nice shake would suffice!" She stated.

"Really, Charice!" He laughed, unbuttoning his jacket. "You need a jacket? You'll get cold!"

The blue on the jacket made her cringe and back up from him as he continued to push on. After a few seconds, his face was open in realization and he backed up with a sad smile, rebuttoning his jacket.

"Ah, that's right. I'm sorry, querida. I seem to have forgotten about your fears…"

"I-It's fine…" She sighed. "There are some things you really can't let go of."

"And you have the ability to let go of more than the rest of us combined." Antonio smiled. "That just means that you have suffered from our mistakes."

"I guess." She answered.

"Hah…oh, speaking of the past, isn't that your brother?"

She looked up to see Rizal walk toward them, a rather confused look on his face that tensed at Antonio's presence. He smiled and waved lightly toward her, making her blush as she watched him vanish into the hectic New York night. Rizal stood next to her.

"It's not like you to sleep in the middle of the night on a park bench." He stated.

"Yeah…it's not." She said. "I was just wondering on which other version to vote for."

"By sleeping out here?" Rizal sighed. "Speaking of which…what the hell was Spain doing here?"

"Um…for lack of better word…I think he was hitting on me?"

She was too flustered to realize that she had not think that sentence out, or realize that Rizal was now calling for the Spaniard's blood the moment he heard those words. Guess being in a panicked state does that to people.

**/=+=/**

**Aw, come on! America was raised by England and we have the JoKir pairing, Germany was raised by Prussia and we have Germancest, Canada was raised by France **_**(originally)**_** and we have FraCan fanfiction, and who can forget Spamano? Why not some Sparice?**

…

**OK, for some salvation points, Charice isn't 'technically' in love with him. She's extremely romantic and ended up daydreaming about the scenery itself **_**(which you have to admit is romantic)**_** and somehow Antonio got into the picture. So it's not really her fault.**

**By the way, European Spanish version of "I See the Light" is awesome. The male part is sung by a sixteen year old! Remember the spaces…**

**http:/ www. youtube. com/ watch?v= bHsCsyAdu74&feature= BFa&list= PLD8CD1FE7 386DE01C& index= 8**

**For story purposes, the Antonio sparkle happened between 2:55 – 2:59…the most awesome part of the song.**


	52. How to Use the Tabo

**This is a continuation of Chapter 28…cause I just thought about it. Well…for those of you who have used it, you know what I mean ;D**

**/=+=/**

"Ve~~~I'm all sweaty…"

"That's what walking does to you." Charice laughed. "We're gonna have to start taking baths."

"I'll get the shower ready. Decide on who goes first." Rizal stated.

Everyone sat in the hot living room talking to each other before Yong Soo and Kiku found another sitcom on the Internet. It was then that Ludwig decided that he was going to have the first shower. He headed over to the bathroom and saw Rizal just about to leave. He grinned.

"There's a bucket filled with water, and you're gonna have to use the tabo for the bath." He stated. "If you need anything, don't be afraid to call."

"…tabo?" Ludwig blinked.

"The smaller bucket without the water."

"Ah."

Ludwig walked into the shower and heard Rizal close the door after him. After undressing, he stared at the bucket for a few minutes and noted where all the shampoo and soap were. He took a deep breath, filled up the tabo _(was that it?)_, and dumped the water on top of his head.

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Ve~? Ah, Ludwig! You're out of the shower!"

"Yeah…it's not that hard." He answered, wiping his hair with the towel. "You'll have to get used to the water coming from a bucket, but after a while it's second nature."

"Woooow…I wanna take a bath next!"

"All right…"

Ludwig pointed toward the bathroom, causing the Italian to instantly strip naked and jump into the shower while still in the living room. The first thing Feliciano looked at was the smaller bucket that was in the bigger bucket, and then he grinned before filling up the bucket and dumping the water over his head.

…

…

…

…

His scream echoed everywhere in the house.

**/=+=/**

The minute Charice ran into the room, she saw Feliciano run out of the bathroom, scream again the minute his wet skin touched air conditioned air, and then lunged into the bed where he proceeded to wrap himself in about fifteen layers of blankets. All while he was still shivering.

"Are you OK, Feli-chan?" She panicked.

"…veeeee…it's cooooolldd…"

**/=+=/**

**Ah, how I miss the Philippines…**


	53. How Their First Meeting Went

**FINALLY. I do a chapter about this particular moment. Have you noticed how none of these chapters actually mention how Charice and Rizal handled their first meeting? So…here it is now! I think it's a continuation of Chapter 7, if anyone is curious.**

**/=+=/**

_Why why why why why…why me?_

Charice began to freak. Sure, she allowed herself to do something like this _(her brother had a small "accident" with Irunya, so she kinda had to)_, but after she was halfway down the hallways, she realized that _**she was totally screwed.**_ She was only aware that a few people knew of her existence _(Spain, America, England, Japan [maybe], the two Italian brothers because she jumped them…I think that's it O_o)_, and the other two she met _(creepy French rapist and Russian dude)_ scared the ever-living crap out of her, so…

She was so screwed, wasn't she?

_OK, no panicking, no panicking…you should be FINE…_ Charice thought to herself. _You know a few people, so they should be there. Right…think of them, think of them…they should be fine with you…__**GOD**__, I wish Rizal was here._

She sighed yet again before hearing some noise coming from one side of the door. Charice paused before she paused in front the door, staring at it for a few minutes before realizing that she might as well try to open it up. It was a meeting that she might as well have to get into…in their seriousness…and she had her wisecracking jokes and stuff…so…she might fit in with the Italians…um…yeah.

_I mean…they should be nice…so…maybe I could-_

"_**WILL EVERYONE PLEASE SHUT THE HELL UP? WHOEVER SAYS ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T CORRESPOND WITH THIS MEETING WILL BE THROWN OUT OF THE ROOM!"**_

"Ahahaha! You don't mean that, Ludwig!"

Five seconds later, Charice saw the door swing itself open, and a buff blond man was holding a man _(that kinda looked like Spain)_ by the T-shirt before throwing him over her head and hearing him crash into the wall behind her. She turned her head and realized that it really was Spain, and that he had just broke a window. _The man that had controlled her life for over three hundred years had been destroyed by a window and a blond man…_

She turned her head again and saw the surprised blond man staring back at her. What surprised her was that he was very…very…_**very**_ tall. Six something, maybe? That alone intimidated the heck out of her _(hello? She was only five something and half of something else…)_. What could possibly be worse…?

"How long were you there?"

He must've sounded sincere, her mind told her. But the only thing going through her head was that the voice sounded very German. Wait, was this guy German? Was he _**the**_ German…?

Five seconds later, she started screaming bloody murder and ran to the other side of the hallway.

**/=+=/**

_That is the best way to start off a meeting, Charice. Screaming bloody murder at Germans just as they completely obliterate the only man that had made your life miserable for the past three hundred or so years._

She sank to the floor and sighed. What would her brother think about something like this? Probably would be too busy thinking about how awesome Germany(?) was for throwing the freakin' Spaniard across the hallway and almost out the window. Maybe that's what she should be thinking about around that time…

"Ah…are you alright, Charice?"

That voice surprised her. Through the shock, she could barely see that it was none other than Spain talking to her, with a smile on his face that she never thought was possible. She'd only seen it twice, and both times they were about the other Italian…Romano, Lovino? One of those names…

"Yeah…I'm fine." She answered, confused. "Since when did you care about me so much?"

"Is it too late for me to change my mind?" He asked back.

"This suddenly? Yes." Charice leaned forward. "What the heck were you smoking?"

"Nothing, Charice. I was actually talking to Feliciano a few days ago. He said that the both of you met up with him and Lovino…" He smiled. "According to the description that he gave me, the both of you changed greatly."

"Well, it's not like we could stay the same after all the crap that we had to deal with you." She stated, suspicious. "Let me guess, you're surprised that we were able to grow as one independent nation."

"Rizal, no. His seriousness and his abilities as a nation did not surprise me at all." Spain lifted her up. "You, on the other hand, were a complete surprise."

"Surprise? Me?" She blinked, now confused. "How?"

"I've…I've never seen a nation under that much suppression for so long and still leave with a smile on her face." He stated. "With such a bubbly expression and radiating happiness…I thought that would long be tainted…"

"One of us had to learn how to smile." Charice stated. "I mean, I've only seen you smile twice whenever Lovi-chan was mentioned, so…"

"Ahahaha, you've seen me smile before?"

"Yeah. It would be just like the one you have now." She stated, oddly calm. "The first time was when you received a letter from Lovi-chan, saying that he was missing you and refused to admit it. The second time was when you received a small present from him for your birthday. February 12th, if I remember correctly."

"Wow…you remember my birthday…I'm honored." He laughed. "Well then, I guess I won't feel weird saying this to you…"

Charice blinked for a few minutes before he lifted up a tomato from his pocket(s?) and lightly placed it on her fingers. She looked up in even more confusion to see that he was smiling back at her in a way that she thought she'd never see him smile.

"Feliz cumpleaños, Charice."

She was frozen in shock. Here he treated her like crap, and here he was, suddenly caring about her? What caused the difference? She blinked for a few minutes before Spain took her hand.

"We should go back to the meeting, Charice. They need to know that there are two of you."

"All right, Spain."

"Antonio."

"Hah?"

"My name is Antonio."

"…sure?"

**/=+=/**

Once she was led back into the meeting hall, she saw with horror that the only seat that was left was between two nations that she had never seen before. One of them was in fact Japan, but when she sat down, he clearly didn't know who she was. She must've really hid herself well if during their four years of capture he only knew of Rizal. Or maybe he was being forgetful?

"Well, we should already know that we have a new country joining our meeting today." The man that she definitely knew was Germany stated. "Will you introduce yourself to the others?"

"Um…sure."

She cleared her throat, making her nerves even worse. The others were staring at her right now, and by the looks of things only America and Spain seemed to remember her _(past the Italian brothers, since Feliciano seemed to smile at her standing and Lovino didn't seem too happy about it)_.

"Hi. Um…my name is Charice Pacquiao. I am the Outer Islands of the Republic of the Philippines. I am the older sister of Rizal Pacquiao, the Capital City of Manila and the Inner Islands of the Republic of the Philippines." She started off. "I…um…I like food. And I am a Catholic."

_Come on, Charice! There must be something else that everyone should be able to know! Something important, something that is definitely important for them to know! Charice, think about something…_

"And…um…I…I ship men."

_Smooth._

The room stared at her for a few minutes before she realized that she said something that was important in a _**different**_ sense before she slowly sank back down in her seat, completely embarrassed. The two people next to her were staring at her with the upmost interest, making her embarrassed.

"You are Charice?" The man asked.

"Yes. I'm Charice. You are Japan."

"You may call me Kiku."

"Kiku. Right."

"Don't be so formal with her, Kiku!" The girl next to her chirped. "Hi. My name is Elizabeta, and I'm Hungary."

"Um…pleased to meet you."

"You ship men?"

"Of course I do. I read yaoi-" She paused, turning her head to Kiku. "Japan makes yaoi."

"Um…hai…"

"…can we be friends? Forever?"

**/=+=/**

**Please don't ask. I ship GerRiz with NorthEast, and I ship Spice with RomaBela. DON'T JUDGE ME.**


	54. The Days That Changed Her

It was always sad for Charice every time a World Meeting would be in Spain. No matter how important it would be about, no matter what was going to be discussed, Rizal would just refuse to go. Even when she would state that his idol Germany would be there, he would shrug and say _"he'll be at the next meeting"_ and the matter would be done. The whole world knew about this and they knew he could not be budged, so the meeting was deemed to be about a small matter.

As she stepped out of the airport to no one, she quietly hailed a cab and headed over to her hotel. She had learned enough Spanish to book a room, and when she went in it she was grateful that it was big enough for her and her brother…on the off chance that he would change his mind and come join her. But she knew that he would never change his mind. Never in a million years if this pace keeps up.

And really, could she blame him?

The meeting was happening in about an hour. She better get going.

**/=+=/**

The hall looked definitely like something that she had back at home. The arches, the white paint, the European mix of just about everything…not to mention the heat that always seemed to be around this tomato bearing nation #2 _(she totally supported the fact that America found the tomato first)_…well, it felt a little like home. Except that everyone spoke Spanish instead of Tagalog.

She walked into the hall quietly and saw with surprise that there wasn't anyone around her. She must've gotten there early _(geez, what a start)_, and by the look of her adjusted clock…yeah, she was early. By about two hours.

_God dammit…_

After realizing how bored she was, she walked around the building for some time, watching all the Spanish people talking to each other like nothing better was going on. She was confused on how Latin Spanish people are tanned, and European Spanish people were…pale…like that. She rolled her eyes and found herself face-to-face with a window to the meeting hall.

The figure staring back at her had shoulder-length black hair with a bright sun pin in it. It had a sleeveless red one-piece dress with the skirt just above the knee that was covered with black stockings and red hiking boots. The arms were fingerless and cut a few inches below her shoulder, red as well. The entire outfit was covered with yellow pins and the occasional belt or two. Brown eyes reflected off the window back to her.

"…I really grew up all those years…"

Her fingers twitched, the reflection doing the same thing. She moved her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, seeing the reflection copy it. This had happened before, a long time ago. In fact, didn't she see this outfit before…_**before**_ she became a nation and not a colony…?

**/=+=/**

_She was eleven years old. It was already two hundred years since she had been found by her conqueror Spain, and she was terrified of him. When was the last time she looked at him straight in the eye? The last time that she had been lashed at by that axe…? She barely got the feeling back in her body…_

_Fortunately for her, Spain had returned to his realm back in wherever-he-came-from land and hence she was only at the mercy of the Spanish men that he left behind. While they were just as oppressive, no one can be as scary as that man. No one at all…_

_As she wandered into the house that she would be forced to share with him on other incidences, she could barely hear the Spanish members of her government talking about more ways to suppress her and her people. Unfortunately, she had no idea how to counter any of them. After a few minutes, she snuck into one of the rooms and closed the door behind her._

_She looked up and realized that she had accidentally walked into Spain's room. Charice was about to run out of there when she heard some officials talking in front of the door. She couldn't leave. So she was forced to go deeper into the room until they left. As she was about to leave, she found herself looking around the room._

_There was a desk that had been cleaned off, facing a window that showed the view of Manila. There were two cupboards, a bed, an extremely fancy bathroom, and a mirror. As she walked toward the bed, she realized just how soft it felt. Her left arm tingled as she lifted it up to touch the pillow._

_***CRASH!***_

_She almost screamed, but was immediately muffled by her fear. She turned her head and realized that it was only Spain's red uniform that had fallen from a hanger, knocking down his trusty axe in the process. The axe still had a faint stain in it…a stain that made her shiver._

_Slowly, Charice walked toward the outfit, feeling the silk and cotton beneath her fingertips. It was more comfortable and fitted than her rags, for sure. A strange thought crossed her mind, and she looked up to see if anyone was coming into the room before going with her plan._

_She bundled up the jacket up and tried her best to put it on her tiny frame. She almost stumbled at the weight of it before regaining her balance and heading over to the mirror to look at herself. The uniform made her look ridiculous, but with the added hat, she actually looked like a grown nation on her own two feet._

_**This needs one more thing…**_

_It made her stumble a bit, but she was finally able to hold that damn axe in her hands. She headed back to the mirror and looked at herself. She had to admit: she looked like a proud nation and not a pitiful colony of one. Perhaps when she gains her independence from Spain she would wear something as proud as this…maybe she'll get her own axe. Maybe it'll be prettier. Maybe-_

"_Oh, Spain! Nice to see that you are back!"_

_Her nerves immediately froze. Five seconds later she was able to hang up the outfit, put the axe safely away, and just when she was about to leave heard them walking across. She slowly peeked out to see that it __**was**__ that blasted Spain, talking to one of his people. Slowly, she snuck out of the room and headed out to her own right next door. As she sat down at her pitiful table, she heard the door slam open and Spain's voice screaming about the position of the axe. One gunshot and a scream later, and she hid herself in the covers to cry._

**/=+=/**

Now she remembered where it came from. Charice moved around, seeing the skirt flare up with her movements. Now that she thought about it, the buckles and the shiny pins did remind her of that swashbuckling piratish outfit that Antonio wore all that time. Just…_**barely**_, though.

"Well, I guess that also explains why I use that damn poleaxe!" She laughed. "But it looks nothing like his axe at all!"

Come to think of it, what was up with the detached sleeves that she had on her arms? Antonio's sleeves were attached to his jacket. She loved the uniqueness, don't get her wrong, but she can't remember what mindset she had in order to do something like this.

She reached to the left sleeve and took it off…

And then she remembered.

**/=+=/**

"_**So, you think you can start a rebellion, huh?"**_

_The voice scared her more than it ever did before. Charice was so weak and pitiful compared to the army that was before her. Around her, the village that she was burning to the ground, screaming villagers trying to escape the Spanish soldiers. But none of it mattered. It was one young girl versus the strongest man in the world…_

"_It might've worked before, but don't think that you can do it again girl." He grinned. The smile sent shivered down her heated spine. "I'm already at the heart of this land…you can't escape."_

"…_God will be merciful on those who are merciful…" She stated, her voice laced with fear. "You may conquer this land, and you may curse it with your lies and wealth…but one day everything that you have done to us will be purged and we will be free."_

"_Purged? You are ignorant, Philippines." He stated, his axe up. "I will forever hold this land…"_

_The blade slashed before her, and a split second later a wave of pain ran through her arm. She screamed and looked down, seeing that the axe and slashed right through her left arm, leaving a huge cut from her elbow to her wrist. The blood was so fresh that it was the only thing her nostrils could smell. She fell to her side in pain._

"_You will forever be my slave…and I your master…" He looked up. "Compadres!"_

_She looked up and saw as the man named Spain pulled his soldiers back, leaving the denizens to care for the fallen girl. Before she blacked out, she looked at her left arm and realized that she couldn't move her fingers._

**/=+=/**

Charice looked down at her exposed left arm, seeing the long scar that was still on the arm. The truth is, she completely forgot that it was there _(which is weird, concerning the fact that her left arm had been paralyzed for about one human lifetime)_. She stretched out her arm and spun her wrist, seeing it quickly obey her command. It was, of course, only a few years ago that she was able to get full control of her left limb, around the time of the war with Japan. She only got out of there because of Rizal, after all.

"Querida…"

She turned her head and saw a rather surprised Antonio, not staring at her but rather the scar that he left her on her arm. He walked up to it, not making a move to touch it, seeing that the scar was actually smaller than the last time that he saw it. He looked up at her, the look on his face so much more different than the time he gave it to her…

"_Does it still hurt?"_ He asked.

"Not anymore." She answered. "About fifty years ago…"

"…it looked really bad when I…" He looked up. "Does Rizal know?"

"It was when we were scared of you. Of course he knows."

"_No wonder he hates me so much…"_

Without even thinking, he leaned forward and kissed the middle of the scar, startling her. Her mind flashed back to that of him walking away from her wounded body, surrounded by flames. How different from him now, kissing her old wounds under a shining blue sky…

"Three human lifespans…the only thing that could cure this paralysis…"

"Actually, once my arm got better, I kinda forgot that I had a scar there. I would always joke that it was a bad dimple or something-"

"It looks nothing like a dimple."

"Says you." She smiled. "Then again, you probably can't tell the difference between a grapefruit and a tangerine."

Antonio laughed. It was a soft laugh, but it was his laugh nonetheless. His wounds were healing as well, which made her laugh as well. For some reason, the sun was illuminating the shine in his eyes, almost making him like an angel. Antonio is practically both the angel and devil on this Earth, and she had seen both sides of it. Made her wonder if…

"**Oi!** Stop wasting time over there, you tomato bastard!"

Nonetheless, Lovino had rounded off the corner and saw the both of them talking to each other. However, he wasn't expecting the strange grins that aimed themselves to him…


	55. Apparently They Can Rap

**Mikuru38 requested this type of chapter…but I never really know what to write as a rap…and I like writing raps you can actually rap out…so…um…yeah…here you go.**

**/=+=/**

The tension in the room was starting to freak people out to say the least. Charice wanted to say it was because Rizal and Antonio were in the same part of the room and Rizal still hated his guts to this day. But she also had to take into account that there was a drunk battle yesterday and Alfred didn't want to talk to anyone. Then she had to take into account the usual battle between Arthur and Francis. Poor Matthew was getting worried.

"_W-we should do something about this, Charice…"_

"Yeah…any plans? Talking about it out loud is going to make it worse…"

"_T-that's true…"_

"But…you have to think like them…"

"_Think like them? So…diplomatically?"_

"Yep~!"

Matthew was about to think up something when he saw Charice stand up in her seat, plug in something, and turn it on. And…dare he say it…was it…?

"Let 'em rap it out!"

"_W-what?"_

He was about to wonder if Charice had gone insane. Ludwig looked up and asked if they have any final closing statements. Before he knew it, Rizal jumped on the table.

_**[I've been a slave against a will**_

_**For over three hundred years**_

_**Yet I've beaten all of you so hard**_

_**That I threw you all to tears!]**_

_**[You all had guns and experience**_

_**And I had a dream and a coast.**_

_**I've beaten two empires single-handedly**_

_**But I enjoyed beating Spaniards the most!]**_

Matthew's eyes opened in confusion. Did her brother seriously take the bait? He seriously prayed that Antonio wouldn't…oh god, he's standing on the table.

_**[Oh, you have nothing up against me**_

_**For I'm the kingdom that made what you are!**_

_**You would be nothing but a failure**_

_**If I didn't raise you in war-]**_

_**[Yo, don't you lecture me**_

_**On what I can do!**_

_**Cause you're a Spaniard with a fetish**_

_**And I can still freakin' BEAT YOU!]**_

Charice was truly enjoying this mess she started. Matthew wanted to state something when Alfred jumped on the table.

_**[Hey, no one take another step,**_

_**For America's intervening**_

_**And you might start a war**_

_**But I'm the one who's winning!]**_

_**[For this is a rap battle**_

_**And I'm the one that STARTED this!**_

_**And I have a part of all of you**_

_**Which means I freakin' WON, miss!]**_

Matthew blinked.

_**[Look, no one wants to see your face**_

_**Your music is freaking TERRIBLE,**_

_**Your singers are all like Rebecca Black**_

_**And those lyrics are extremely horrible!]**_

_**[Don't you even know**_

_**That their whole career is barbarian!**_

_**And if you don't believe me,**_

_**Well, the music charts are topped by a white Canadian!]**_

He wanted to cry now. There was light at the end of the tunnel when he saw Ludwig stand up with a mad look on his face. Finally, salvation.

_**[Everyone sit down**_

_**Before I go Nazi on all of you**_

_**And for those who've seen me battle,**_

_**You know just what I can do.]**_

_**[I'm committing verbal murder**_

_**In the major third degree.**_

_**And I have just won this stupid battle**_

_**So I'm just gonna leave.]**_

God, why? Did the German just win this battle?

**/=+=/**

**This is probably the worst chapter I've ever written in this…blech DX**


	56. Philippines, Meet the Nordics!

**Cause I think they deserve to have an introduction in this series, don't they?**

**/=+=/**

The minute she heard that this boy named Tino was in fact the Santa Claus of Christmas lore, her jaw almost unhinged itself and fell off a random cliff that was apparently there. But to think that this was Santa Claus…this uke little boy with a dog named Hantamago…

"You must be the nation that celebrates Christmas four months a year!" He chirped. "My name is Tino, the country of Finland."

"Yes, I am!" She chirped. "My name is Charice, the Outer Islands of the Philippines- did anyone tell you how cute you are?"

"Y-yes…" He was embarrassed. "B-but…thank you, Charice. That's really nice of you-"

_***tackle***_

**/=+=/**

"Is that a puffin?"

"Yes, it is." Emil stated, holding it in his hand. "Do you have a pet, Rizal?"

"No. I think animals are happier in the wild." He stated. "Not that I'm saying that you should let him go. He looks happy."

"I think he does." Emil smiled. "He's quiet most of the time, but he likes following me around."

"That's a sign of loyalty. You should be proud of him." Rizal folded his legs. "Does he have a name?"

"For now, it's just Mr. Puffin."

"…okay…"

**/=+=/**

"And what's your name?"

"I'm Magnus, the Republic of Denmark!" The strange man grinned, flashing his black cape. "I'm the place of pride, where the lions roar freely!"

"…your teeth are so _**white**_…"

"I know! Ain't it awesome?" He posed, holding up his poleaxe. "That's just how awesome I am!"

"…you have a poleaxe?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So do I!"

"You know what that means?"

"Oh, totally."

"_**AXE FIGHT!"**_

They ended up having a two-hour fight which resulted in a tie.

**/=+=/**

The boy was staring at a flying pixie when Rizal first saw him. He walked up to him with a blank look on his face before seeing the boy stare at him and the pixie fly away to a safe location. He looked interested at the pixie for a few minutes before turning to the more interested boy.

"You can see her?"

"Yeah. She looks really nice." Rizal answered. "What, surprised?"

"Not really. I am aware that there are other nations that can see her, like England." The boy stated. "I wasn't aware that one of them was a one so deep in Catholicism."

"Well, I have a bit of Islamic blood in me. That could be it." He answered. "So my name is Rizal. What's yours?"

"…Lukas. The country of Norway." He stated. "Do you have any mystical friends?"

"No. Despite how beautiful it is, not too many spirits roam on my lands. Maybe because it's so war ridden." Rizal sighed. "Maybe not."

"You don't even know?"

"There are a lot of these things that even I don't know about myself." Rizal answered. "But still, it's nice to see something that normal people can't."

"Yeah…it is."

**/=+=/**

"I heard that you're a gamer?"

She turned her head and _**swore to God**_ that it was another Germany lookalike. Geez, how many of them _**are they?**_ Fortunately, her nerves weren't burning for her to get the hell out of there. And even more fortunately, Alfred was there with her. He grinned.

"Who're you talkin' too, both of us? Cause we both are gamers!"

"_Alfred, what about me…?"_

"I believe I am a gamer too."

"Oh, hey Kiku! Didn't see ya!"

"_W-what about me…?"_

"There's a game that I just made that I want all of you to test." He answered. "If you would be so kind."

"We'd be happy too, Berwald! Bring it over to my house tonight and we'll play it together~!"

**/=+=/**

Of course, with the words "new game", The Bad Touch Trio had to go see this one out. Charice invited Feliciano over for the night, to which he happily replied with a yes. They loved hanging out with each other, much to Rizal's surprise. He decided to come around as well.

When the three of them got into the room, they saw that Berwald was already there, waiting for Alfred to load the game into the computer. Kiku was talking to Gilbert about something as Antonio and Francis were…doing something, I'm sure of it. Feliciano chirped a little bit before hiding behind Charice.

"Ve~~~w-what's going on?"

"They're all gathering around for Berwald's new game." Rizal answered. "Apparently, he said he's proud of his people for making it."

"Ve~~~I wonder what it is?"

"I wonder that too sometimes." Charice folded her arms. "Besides, it's probably some RPG or something."

"It is an RPG." Berwald answered. "And Alfred and Kiku will be playing it."

"It's a two-player?" Gilbert looked up. "Hell, I'm playing the loser!"

"No it's not. In case one of you is…overwhelmed."

"By what?" Francis asked.

"…emotions."

"OK, enough of that." Charice stated. "What's the name of it?"

"**Amnesia: The Dark Descent.** It's a strange title, I know, but…"

"Sounds…decent." Kiku stated.

"Ahaha~ that sounds fun~!" Antonio laughed. Rizal grumbled under his breath.

"OK, the game's loaded up!" Alfred grinned. "Turn off the lights and pump up the volume!"

Berwald did just that as everyone gathered around the computer screen to see the beginning of the game. The introduction screen looked simple enough as the settings were introduced as well. Before they knew it, their location was set up.

"Hell yeah, Prussian castles for the win!"

"Shut up, Gilbert."

"Ve~~~where are you going?"

"I…I don't have a clue." Alfred blinked. _**"Holy crap**_ what was that sound?"

"It was probably just a mouse." Rizal stated.

"Mice do _**not**_ make huge clanging noises!" Charice pointed out. "It's probably an enemy or something."

"Sweet!" Alfred grinned. "Where are the weapons?"

"There are none." Berwald answered. "You have to outrun all of them."

…

…

…

"_**WHY?"**_

"Stop screaming and get to running already!" Kiku ordered. "We have to find out what we're doing here."

"Amnesia?" Antonio grinned. "Looks like you don't know who you are~!"

"Other than his name being Daniel." Rizal stated. "Now what?"

"I guess we just go around." Alfred stated. "The sound's getting louder…"

They walked around for a few minutes in a tensed up location as Alfred tried to figure out what was going on. He realized that he could move objects with a click of the mouse, started to gather tinderboxes and oil for the small lamp that he had _(though on Berwald's warning they didn't use it with reckless abandon)_, and for the most part was generally lost.

"Oh, we can go into the cabinets over there to hide." Alfred stated. "To hide?"

"Most likely." Rizal answered.

"How peculiar." Kiku stated. "Hiding places…"

"Yeah, I thought about the game you made, HetaOni, and asked them to add that in." Berwald shrugged.

"Ah, I see."

"_Ve~~~I'm scared, Charice."_

"_I-it's probably nothing big…"_

Alfred wandered around as the strange sound got bigger and bigger, but they decided to keep it in the back of their minds for now. They finally found a place that looked like a water-filled basement before they descended the stairs and headed into the darkness for a few minutes before…

"W-what was that roar…?"

"I-I think it was a-"

"_**WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?"**_

"_**GET AWAY GET AWAY GET AWAY GET AWAY!**__**"**_

"I'm trying, I'm tryin- **HOLY SHIT IT SAW ME!"**

"**Run Alfred **_**RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN!"**_

"**FUCK** now what do I do?"

"_**Throw everything at it, I don't care! See the barrel, see the barrel? THROW IT!"**_

They started to scream at the PC for a few minutes as Alfred started screaming for the monster to go away and soon enough it did. He paused the game and looked at everyone as they all took a few breaths to calm their heatbeats for a few minutes before realizing that Feliciano was cutting off blood circulation to Charice's arm. Kiku had to take Alfred's place.

And hence…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"_**FUCK I THOUGHT IT WENT AWAY!"**_

"**Dammit Kiku ****RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN!****"**

"I am trying! I cannot run if people are screaming in my ear!"

"_**Why is the music playing like this if there isn't anything behind you?"**_

"_**THIS IS TOTALLY **__**UNAWESOME!**__**"**_

"**VEEEEE~~~~!"**

"All right, I am climbing up the ladder…"

"T-they can't fight you on the ladder, right?"

"Um…I can't remember."

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Why is there a flood in this castle?"

"T-this isn't that bad…" Francis rubbed the back of his head.

"Y-yeah…totally…not scared." Gilbert stated.

"_V-ve…Charice…"_

"_Y-you want to look away, Feli-chan?"_

"_I-if I do, then the monster might come after us!"_

"_T-t-t-t-t-t-the monster…c-can't be real…r-right?"_

"_Y-yeah…"_

"It looks like I can jump around on these platforms to get to the other side."

"Yeah…" Alfred nodded. "U-um…y-you want to do that?"

"I think it is a wise option."

Kiku started jumping on the platforms for a few minutes before he tripped and fell into the water below. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be anything pertaining to a Game Over, so they continued to walk on through the water until…

…

…

…

…

"_**HOLY SHIT **__**SOMETHING'S IN THE WATER!**__**"**_

"Ah-! I can't get onto the platforms!"

"You can only go on the platform you started out in."

"A-are you serious, Berwald?"

"_**Don't just **__**stand**__** there, Kiku! **__**RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN!**__**"**_

"**Freaking Christ** my castles aren't this unawesome!"

…

…

…

…

…

…

"I can't take this game anymore…"

"None of us can."

The entire room _(with the exception of Berwald)_ began to breathe again, holding their heads for a few minutes and asking each other if they wanted to eat something to calm themselves. No one wanted to walk alone, so there was like an amoeba effect where half the people were going to watch over the game to make sure nothing comes to life _(god knows what Arthur is doing right now)_.

"I want some nachos…"

"Popcorn for me. What about you, Antonio?"

…

…

…

"Antonio?"

He was laughing really strangely for a few minutes, making Feliciano walk up and pat Antonio on the back. And this is going to be the only documented time at which a Spaniard will scream bloody murder because of fear. They all shared a room that night, equipped with two nightlights and loaded shotguns. Charice and Feliciano sobbed each other to sleep.

**/=+=/**

**Yeah…**


	57. The Man that Gave Him His Name

It was just another meeting as usual. The nations were all looking at each other as some boring presentation was going on, no one _(save for Germany)_ knew who was talking, they were all basically planning what the heck to do in the beautiful tropical islands. It was the first time that the Philippines were hosting a meeting, and for the first time ever Rizal insisted upon it. Rizal, for crying out loud.

"Now then…" Ludwig sighed. "Are there any questions?"

"I have one."

Everyone turned their heads to see Charice stand up with her arm above her head. Before anyone could say anything, she went up to the German, stared at him for a few minutes _(unnerving him just a LIIIIITLE bit)…_

And then ripped off his pants.

"**GAH!"**

"Where the _**hell**_ do you people get these kinds of boxers that have the nation's flag on them?" She pointed at them.

"_**Charice!"**_

"I mean, seriously!" She lifted up her own skirt. "I can only find the stuff from the SM just down the street-"

"_**Don't fucking **__**FLASH**__** yourself, bastard!"**_

Throughout the entire messed up incident, Charice looked up to her brother and winked. Rizal took this as a cue before standing up and moving quietly out the door, making sure not to look back once so that no one would see him leave.

**/=+=/**

He didn't want to go to a meeting on this day. Technically, the date was moved from where it was supposed to be this entire time…but it was one of the few changes on his land that he accepted just a little bit. Especially since he wanted the future generations to see what had happened.

June 19th.

The birthday of his namesake.

As opposed to the ordinary date: December 30th.

The day his namesake died.

Rizal Day.

He wandered away from the meeting hall toward Rizal Park _(Charice was quick enough to get a place close to it)_, seeing a couple of his fellow Filipinos entering the park and a few tourists taking pictures of the monument in the middle of the park, with the man he took his name from.

_The statue barely does him justice…_ He thought.

**/= [FLASHBACK] =/**

_Jose Rizal looked at the shores of his homeland from the boat, wiser and smarter than what he could ever learn in his homeland that had been repressed so much before. He had been writing about his homeland's oppression by the Spanish people, and was now planning on forming a civic movement to try giving his people his freedom through political means. He couldn't start a war…and despite the fact that he was sure of his decision, he couldn't help but be a little scared…_

_As his foot touched the shores of his home, he couldn't help but see a little boy hiding behind a few trees a few feet away. He found himself interested in this boy and walked up to him, seeing the boy walk away shivering and shaking from his presence._

"_I will not hurt you. I am a Filipino like you."_

_Instantly the boy calmed down and he walked out into view of the man. He had messy black hair and shining gold eyes that made him blink twice and rub his eyes. He looked almost four or five years of age, yet his eyes seemed to state that he was older than that…_

"_Where is your family?" He asked._

"…_I have none." The boy answered._

"_Do you have a name?"_

"…_I have none."_

"_No name?"_

"_I have no name." The boy looked down at his feet, drawing circles in the sand._

"…_did the Spanish do this to you…?"_

"_I do not know. All I know is that they are hurting my people."_

"_They are hurting __**our**__ people." Jose lifted him up. "But do not worry, for I will make sure that they will not hurt us anymore."_

_He had no idea why he took such a fascination toward this orphan. He had something more important than to try raising a child. But when he looked into this boy's eyes, he felt as if he was being asked by him to start this movement. He didn't know what was giving him the motivation that he already had…but he was going to do this. There was no turning back now._

**/= [FLASHBACK] =/**

There was a small crowd of people just up ahead, surrounding the execution site. As he approached it, he felt a strange sense of nostalgia run through his bones. Rizal no longer felt like the nation he was now, he felt vulnerable…like a child. Like he was reliving something…

**/= [FLASHBACK] =/**

_He had no idea how, but the boy he had raised was growing up so fast…faster than any boy that he had known before. While La Liga Filipina ran its course in the comforts of his home, the boy seemed to grow faster than anything else. By the time he had been disbanded by the governor, the boy was already looking like a seven year old. Yet this fast growing boy didn't bother to leave his side. When he was deported to Dapitan, the young boy quickly followed. He didn't bother to even argue about it: the boy's mind was set._

_What fascinated him even more was that when he came back from the school that he ran there, there was a girl there with the boy. She looked like she was thirteen or so, and did not flinch when Rizal entered the door with a surprised look on his face._

"_Are you Jose Rizal? The one that I have been hearing about?"_

"…_you have heard of me."_

"_Everyone in the Philippines knows of you. I know of you…" She took his hand. "And I am grateful of your efforts. The efforts of you and your people."_

"…_and you are…?"_

"_You won't believe me if I tell you."_

"_Try me."_

"…_I am the land that you are trying to free." She bowed. "I am the Philippines, the Pearl of the Orient Sea."_

_He had no idea what to say at this point. Here was this young girl, barely thirteen years old, telling him that she was the nation trapped within Spanish rule! He was about to question it when he thought of something: the boy had been aging quickly during his revolution, and the country seemed to be getting stronger…not to mention that she spoke like a young woman…_

"_You speak of the truth."_

"_Yes. You may not believe me, and that is OK. Few humans know of our existence."_

"…_I am…blessed to have you under my roof."_

"_No, I myself am blessed to have you care for me. There have been many revolutions on my land, but yours seems to be the only one that is actually rallying the people…"_

"_People listen through words. When everyone hears of what happens, then they will fight…"_

"_You do not sound happy."_

"_I…I do not like the idea of fighting."_

"_Spain has a tight grip on me…I won't be let go through diplomatic means if I know anything about his people…"_

"…_very well then. Do you wish to say here?"_

"_I want to hide here…from Spain." She stated. "I will take care of the boy here while you are away…I just don't want to go back to him…"_

"…_him?"_

"…_I am not the only one who is created from the lands…there are hundreds of us." She stated. "They are run by their own people."_

"…_I see." He rubbed his head. This was a lot to take in right now. "You may stay here, Pearl of the Orient Sea."_

"_Thank you." She smiled._

**/= [FLASHBACK] =/**

As he approached the fort, he saw that there were a group of tourists there taking pictures like all Filipinos do and pointing to the bronze footsteps on the ground _(he couldn't help but note that a few of them were speaking Spanish…but nowadays it's perfectly OK for Filipinos to live in Spain, so it didn't bother him as much)_. Those were the final steps that he took: the only human that he knew that held their ultimate secret. Rizal had tried walking on them…tried to walk on the exact footsteps that _**he**_ had walked…but after three or four steps he would feel fear run through his blood. Why could _**he**_ do it and not an actual country…?

But now is the time for him to do it. This will be the year for him to do it.

Slowly, Rizal took his first step on the first bronze foot. Easy enough. The second step wasn't that hard either. It was the third step that got to him. He must've looked very strange: a sixteen year old boy almost breaking down into tears in the footsteps of a man that died almost two hundred years ago. If only they knew this boy was so much older than that…

"This is where you are."

He looked up and saw a rather confused Ludwig staring back at him, no longer wearing his suit but something of a T-shirt and Capri pants. Rizal couldn't help but hear some of the tourist girls staring and talking about how hot the man was…and for the most part, he couldn't blame them.

"The meeting is over, I see."

"It's been over for a while." He answered. "Um…what are you doing?"

Rizal looked down, trying not to answer, as Ludwig took that as a sign of acceptance and then headed into the shrine that the footsteps started in. He took a deep breath and took the fourth step. His whole body was shaking now. He didn't know how long it was for him to take that fourth step, but he knew that Ludwig had already come out of the shrine.

"You're still there?"

"…it's hard." He answered.

"I've…seen a bit of the history in there." Ludwig folded his arms. "Jose Rizal…"

"He was my namesake…the man who raised me." Rizal took his fifth step: a first. Maybe it was because Ludwig was here, and he didn't want to look like a sissy. Maybe he himself pushed him. "The one who told me of the Spanish rule."

"I thought Charice raised you."

"That was after he was executed." He answered. "After that, she took me in…told me that I wasn't like the other humans that were around me."

"Executed." Ludwig knew a bit of the history. This was the first time Rizal spoke of it. "When?"

"December 30th." Rizal answered, pushing his nerves down to take the sixth step and not have his voice quivering. "My boss wanted to move the date of celebrating it to today so that the future generation can fully understand his sacrifice and not be diluted by thoughts of Christmas and the New Year's celebrations."

"And did you agree to this?"

"…I wanted them to understand."

"What are the footprints for?"

"These were Jose Rizal's final footsteps to where he was executed." He answered bluntly. "They lead to his execution spot."

"And you're walking on them."

"…it's taken me a long time, but…I'm starting to."

Ludwig was about to question it when he saw what he meant: Rizal's foot was over the seventh bronze marking, but it didn't make a landing. It hovered there in suspended animation, too terrified to take a step. The German looked up and almost gasped: the face of this Filipino boy was almost at the breaking point. He was about to burst into tears.

"…do you want me to go get Charice?"

"No…I told her that I would meet her at the execution spot." He answered. "I…I wanted to do this alone."

"You're still not ready for this."

"Yes I am. You don't have to baby me."

"…then can I walk alongside you? I won't say a word."

Rizal was about to object when he remembered something: his namesake had someone walking with him as well, right? Soldiers to make sure that he didn't stray the path. A priest to say his final wishes. Ludwig would be fine being here. He nodded in acceptance, making the German smile a little, and then he started to walk.

The steps started getting easier as he forced himself down the path. He tried to get into Rizal's head: being surrounded by soldiers, a marching band to celebrate his death, his arms tied by rope so that he couldn't run…he could actually see it all as he went down the path. The tourists around him all vanished in his sight, the only thing that was left was what was in front of him…the ending sight…where he and the Pearl would be. The grip on his hand was the only thing that was keeping his mind intact and not drifting too far into the past.

"Is that the execution site?"

Rizal's head darted up and saw that through his hesitation there was now a crowd of people around the place. He looked around and saw Charice waving her hand to the both of them, not smiling for the occasion. Rizal took the final few steps of the bronze metal before heading over to Charice's location. She smiled.

"He'd be proud of you, Rizal." She stated.

"Yeah…I'm sure he would be." He answered. "Though…I couldn't do it alone this time."

"You'll do it eventually." She stated back. "Thanks for helping him, Doitsu-ki. You really helped him."

"It's fine. I didn't do much." He looked up. "What's going on?"

"It's a reenactment of Jose Rizal's execution." Charice answered, twitching a little bit. "They do it during all the celebrations."

"Man, we're going to have to dig through the crowd this year…" Rizal sighed. "You coming, Ludwig?"

"I can see it perfectly from here."

_Oh yeah, that's right. He's unnaturally tall in a sea of 5'5"s._

The two of them swam through the crowd until they found themselves in the front of the crowd. There were soldiers blocking the viewers to the actual shooting _(just like the real time)_, Spanish soldiers behind the Filipino ones _(just like the real time)_, and the actors talking to themselves about his execution _(just like the real time)_. Charice turned to Rizal.

"_Are you going to be OK this time?"_ She asked.

"_I've always been OK with this…I have to see this."_

She knew he was lying. He was never OK, each and every time. But she would be there for him. She squeezed his hand in reassurance each step that the actors took. Rizal knew she meant well, but he couldn't help but feel it was kind of annoying. He returned the squeezes anyway, seeing the soldiers loading their guns. The commander kept calling their methods to load, to aim…

And then…

**/= [FLASHBACK] =/**

_Gunshots._

_He didn't bother to look back once the sound echoed through the air. He couldn't watch it here, not now! The boy held his sister in his hands, covering her eyes, as the both of them dashed away from the location through the cheering and commotion of the bastards that did this to him…that did this to the man that wanted nothing more than freedom._

_**Where he fell, I will take his place.**__ He thought, fresh rage going through his veins. __**I will be Jose Rizal this time…I will be the leader of the revolution…I will lead the people…**_

_He looked down at his sister, still panicking from what was going on. This was the first time that he looked older than she was. The first time they met, he was only eight and she was thirteen. Now she was at least fourteen and he was now a sixteen year old boy finishing off puberty. Never mind the damn Britons that tried taking over last time…the Spanish are going to pay for this._

_Come to think of it, he had seen plenty of Spaniards in his life time…never Spain himself._

"_Ah…there you are, my little Pearl…"_

_His blood froze. Her feet stopped and the hands were dropped. Standing right in front of him was a tanned man with a commander's uniform on his frame…a Spaniard. But this was different than an ordinary man…the chill that was going down his back, the fear that was running through his veins, the pathetic whimpering of his sister at his side._

"_It's Spain…" She whimpered. "It's Spain…he's here…"_

_She clung onto the boy's arm and he froze: the sleeve had fallen, revealing deep scars that had not yet healed itself. He looked up to the Spaniard as he smiled and approached them…his eyes shining a bright gold…he was a demon…a demon walking upon blessed land…_

**/= [FLASHBACK] =/**

"Rizal? _**Kuya?"**_

He was shaking in place, holding his eyes and unable to speak a word. Charice held his shoulders and led him out of the dispersing crowd, hurrying to a rather shocked German who took the boy and headed out of the park as fast as they could.

**/=+=/**

"Will Rizal be OK?"

"Yeah…it happens every year, no matter how many times he insists otherwise."

The other nations had no idea what had happened to the usually calm boy, so as Feliciano and Lin Yi tended to him the others talked quietly in shock in the lobby. Ludwig snuck away from them and headed to Charice, who was reading a biography of Jose Rizal and was barely aware of his presence.

"Curious, I see?"

"Just a little…"

"Well…" She put the book away. "There was a reason why I didn't ask Antonio to come to the meeting today."

"Is this the same reason that Rizal never wants to go to Spain?"

"Yes."

"This is because he hates Spain with all his soul."

"No. That's not it."

"It's not because of his hatred?"

"No. Rizal never hated Antonio. I've seen him hate before. This is not hate."

Ludwig was taken back.

"He…doesn't hate Spain?"

"It might be mixed with hate now, but…" She sighed. "He's scared of him."

"Scared?"

"The same way you all are scared of Ivan." Charice explained. "You know that there is another side of Ivan and you don't want to see it. Rizal and I have seen both sides of Antonio, and he's worried about the day that he might relapse and start coming after us again."

"He had fought him off before, hadn't he?"

"Yes, but he is scared that he'll be able to take over again because Spain has gotten stronger." She answered.

"He shouldn't be scared. He has America as an ally, remember?" Ludwig stated. "America won't let that happen."

"That's what I thought. So maybe Rizal really does hate him…but sometimes I see that relapse of fear that he had so long ago when they talk to each other…"

Ludwig had no idea what to say.

**/=+=/**

**December 30****th**** is known as "Rizal Day", the day that the Filipino hero Jose Rizal was executed at Bagumbayan, now known as Rizal Park in his memory. The fort that he was imprisoned in, Fort Santiago, is now a museum holding his literature and artwork, and his final footsteps to the execution park is actually marked by bronze markers and people can actually walk down the path that he had walked in his final hours. I would've mentioned his final poem **_**Mi ultimo adios**_** in this chapter, but I couldn't find a good place to put it. This year, they have considered moving this celebration to June 19****th**** because it is Jose Rizal's birthday, and it's not squished between Christmas and New Years so the children can understand his sacrifice.**

**I'm sorry, but I am a Filipino American…lived in America all my life. So all the information I have here are based off on the Rizal movie online and what I get off of Wikipedia. If any Filipino readers want to correct anything that I may have missed or did incorrectly, please tell me. I want to honor Jose Rizal's memory correctly.**


	58. Just When You Thought It Was Over

**I FOUND ANOTHER ONE.**

**http:/ www. youtube. com/ watch? v=dhPiRwwO- WM&feature= related**

**I COULD NOT PASS THIS ONE UP.**

**As for the actual voices…um…I'll list them in the end just for your benefit. Let's just say that it makes the 2011 one look SANE.**

**/=+=/**

"England brought his book again, aru."

"What?" Charice leaned in. "Say that again."

"I said that Arthur brought his magic book again." Li Xiao said bluntly.

"_Aw maaaaaan…"_ Charice sighed. "And I wanted to enjoy the first meeting I ever had in Greece."

"_Um…d-did England cast a spell, Li Xiao? You were in the same room as he was."_

"I moved out of it." He answered. "Fortunately when I returned, it looked like he failed at casting a spell, so…"

"OK, that's good." Charice grinned. "So…where's that guy whoever-his-name-is?"

"Heracles." Li Xiao answered. "He's asleep over there."

"And…where are the others?"

"They're coming. We arrived early so that we can find places to hide in case Arthur actually _**did**_ something."

"_Oh…that makes sense. Charice, where's Rizal?"_

"He went to the bathroom. He should be coming back shortly."

**/=+=/**

He had to admit that coming to a meeting in the place of Ancient Greece was a beautiful choice. The view was utterly beautiful from where he was, and for the most part the place was utterly quiet. According to Li Xiao, it meant that the nations came in late for the meeting, so that means that he had time to slowly walk back to the meeting hall-

"_**RIZAL!"**_

His nerves tensed, used to doing that around Ludwig's voice…but it wasn't Ludwig. Rizal's eyes propped up as he turned around and saw that it was Kiku that was talking to him, his black hair combed and gelled up like the German as if it was normal. He sighed, knowing what that meant.

"…yes, Kiku?"

"Don't tell me that you are late for the meeting as well." He stated with the calmness that Ludwig would speak to him with.

"No. I came early with my sister. Li Xiao and Matthew met us here, so they were earlier." He answered. "You don't have to worry about us…now _**you…**__**"**_

"Yes…for some reason, I overslept and felt really strange." Kiku held his head. "Has the meeting started yet?"

"You're the first one that showed up." Rizal answered, trying not to imagine how he would strangle Arthur slowly with his yo-yo string. "Don't worry."

"That's…good to hear. Um, listen. I seem to have forgotten where the meeting hall was in the strange daze that I had last night…" Kiku stated. "Can you…lead me there?"

"Um…y-yeah, sure…"

**/=+=/**

When Rizal walked in with Kiku, Charice stood up to instantly hug the poor Japanese man. Once his arms were wrapped around this man, they were all surprised to see that Kiku didn't push her off out of shock…but out of duty?

"Will you please be serious about this meeting, Charice?" He stated.

"Eh?" She backed up. "Are you OK, Kiku?"

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

…

…

…

Their gazes turned to Arthur, who had arrived just before Rizal's appearance, and he looked just as perplexed as they were. Rizal could only sigh at this realization, and hope that the others aren't as traumatizing as Kiku was. Well…come to think of it, Kiku isn't that traumatizing. His personality is somewhat the same as Ludwig. If only they can stay the same…

"I was smelling food, aru~!"

They looked up and saw that Alfred had jumped through the door with Chinese food in his hand and a satisfied _"aruuuu~"_ flying out of his mouth. Li Xiao only sighed as he saw the changed man sit next to him, slurping up the remains of the noodles. At least ONE of the changes that happened was the same as last time. Now if only the others were just as lucky…

"Ne~~~~~! Charice!"

She turned around and saw Ivan skipping toward her before giving her a gigantic bear hug. She was about to scream before realizing that he had switched his personality with Feliciano. Charice quietly huggled him back, hearing the both of them coo before the image of a Russian and a Filipina hugging became the norm.

"_Wooow…Ivan looks so different now that he acts like Feliciano."_

"I know…" Rizal blinked. "I only hope that the accented _dere_ doesn't make the _yan_ part any worse."

That made Matthew's back shiver so much that Kumajiro shivered with him. Makes sense, doesn't it? Then again, Charice is hugging him and hence the phobia of tall people isn't kicking in…if that kind of phobia ever existed in the first place. Li Xiao and Matthew stared at each other, too shocked to realize just what was going on.

"Hey hey hey hey hey _**heeeeeeey!**_ Everyone's here! That's totally great!"

"Whee~!" Charice and Ivan skipped to the voice. "Feli-chan~!"

_Oh dear god…they said that at the same time…_

"Ne~~~~it's so great of you to show up, Feli-chan~!" Ivan swayed back and forth like the cute guy that he was _(supposed to be)_. "We were worried that you wouldn't show up!"

"Oh, of course I would show up! I am the _**HERO**_, after all! And heroes are NEVER late for world meetings!"

"But you're late now."

"Yeah yeah…but that was because I was dizzy, OK Kiku?"

Charice couldn't help but feel a little weird about this one. Seriously, Feli-chan and the word "hero" only go great together if Elizabeta was considering the crack pairing. This has nothing to do with crack pairings, so there was nothing anyone could do about this. Li Xiao could only sigh and wish for the ground to open up and eat him. He looked up and saw that Heracles was still sleeping and that Matthew was quietly confronting Arthur about everything.

"Charice, Charice!" They heard Yao skip to her. "Guess what? I finally got that doujinshi ready! You want to read it?"

"Suh-**weet!**" She didn't care that it was from the Chinese man. She was enjoying this. "Aww…"

"I know…aren't they the cutest?"

"Ne~~~can I see this too?"

"_Is this mind corrupting, Yao-chan?"_

"_No, Charice. This is perfectly shounen-ai."_

"_Sweet._ It's safe, Ivan-chaaaaan~!"

Rizal stared at them for a few minutes, trying to understand how Yao can be next to Ivan when Ivan is basically obsessed with the Chinese man and yet were not reacting on that type of reaction. Maybe it was because Alfred and Feliciano were there as well, cancelling out the process? He blinked and stared around the room before realizing that Francis had walked into the room, a smile on his face.

"Hey there, Francis."

At this Matthew and Arthur stopped their conversation and turned to see the Frenchman not making any remarks to start hitting on anyone in the room. He seemed to like hitting on Charice, who had just realized that Francis was in the room and was now pointing at him while gossiping about him to the small crowd that had formed around her. _Dear God, she's OK with this…?_

"You're late, Francis." Kiku stated bluntly.

"I'm sorry. I will be able to make it up to you, oui?"

"Hai." He answered. "How?"

"Well…I guess I'll find out once I get to know you." Francis tilted his head with a smile. "Do you want to be one with me and find out?"

It was then that Rizal realized that Francis had turned into a yandere, as if the dark aura and the others screaming like little girls were any indication _(heck, __Ivan__ was screaming like a girl. __**IVAN!**__)_ of that. This entire day was starting to get insane, and he did _**not**_ want to know how this could get any worse…

He turned to walk away before seeing that he had bumped into someone's chest. He was about to apologize when he saw that he had bumped into Ludwig, making his entire face bloom a bright pink. Especially when he saw that strange smirk on his face and felt a hand on his back.

"Ah…I didn't see you there, Rizal."

"Um…I-I didn't see you either." He answered, trying to keep his composure. "Francis was just scaring everyone by asking them to be one with him."

"Ah, that's true…Charice and Ivan haven't stopped screaming yet."

_Oh yeah, that's true._ He just realized that. Maybe his mind forgot to register some important information such as _**where the **__**hell**__** he was.**_ "Yeah…he's scaring them too. Apparently Francis's seduction techniques are making him more insane than usual today."

"Are you scared, Rizal?"

"No, but- _**ah!"**_

Five seconds later, he found himself being swept off his feet. He landed on the wall just a few feet away, and Ludwig was just…oh, I don't know…five inches away from him? Rizal was shaking uncontrollably, making Ludwig chuckle to himself before holding his side.

"_Are you sure? You're shaking…"_

"_N-no I'm not…I'm just…s-startled…"_ He tried to justify himself. _"Because I fell on the wall…"_

"_Your face is saying otherwise…"_

The hand on his side was going up his back and he was getting closer to his face…oh god, this was just like the last time when he was drunk and kissed him. Rizal blinked for a few minutes before trying to dig through his muscles to try pushing him away. He was about to find it when the hand moved to caress his face. So much for the energy…

"_You like this, don't you Rizal?"_

He couldn't say anything. The energy was now utterly gone. Thank god that Francis's yandere attitude was scaring everyone away and no one was paying attention to them. He kept telling himself that this was something that wasn't normal. Ludwig was under Arthur's spell. Don't take advantage…don't take advantage…

_Oh God he's getting closer to my face…_

"_You know, I never noticed this…you look cute when you're blushing like this."_

"_Um…uh, I um…well…"_

"Ludwig, stop hitting on people. We have a meeting to attend too."

"Ah…" He smiled. "I'm sorry, Rizal. We have to carry on later."

_***…***_

"Hm? Rizal?

_***dead***_

Charice would've remarked on this, but she was too busy drowning Arthur in a nearby fountain to notice. In better news, Heracles finally woke up.

**/= [ONE DAY LATER…] =/**

"Um…C-Charice?"

She turned her head and almost screamed, seeing Ludwig stare at her for a few minutes before realizing that they were perfectly alone, making the phobia go about its worst.

"Intervention."

"_**Ah…**_thank you, Li Xiao." She sighed. "Ludwig?"

"Um…d-do you know where Rizal is? I…need to talk to him."

"Well…I hope you have patience. He's in the hospital right now."

"W-why?"

"Let's just be grateful that we're in Greece right now. He almost died of alcohol poisoning…"

**/=+=/**

**China does Japan's voice, so now China is a shipping otaku with a niceness to him.**

**America does China's voice…so it's the same as before.**

**Italy does America's voice, so yes, Italy is insane.**

**France does Russia's voice, so now France is a FREAKING YANDERE.**

**Russia does Italy's voice, so the dere is accented scaring the crap out of everyone.**

**Japan does Germany's voice, so…there isn't a change, really.**

**And Germany does…France's voice, so…um…**

**Break out the vodka. Make it hard.**


	59. The Maiden Meets the Piano Player

**Because we all know that he needs a chapter. Don't mind me, I'm in a really odd phase right now.**

**/=+=/**

Charice had absolutely no idea who this person was. Sure she was aware that he was a country, of course, but after being told by Elizabeta that he is her ex-husband, she had to see this guy for herself. All she knew was that the guy was named Austria and that he was going to be in the meeting down in France. Of course, being in France means that Rizal had to make sure that she is never alone. Then again, he was going to the meeting hall before her…

She walked down the hallway for a few minutes, looking around at the few French people passing by and hoping that none of them are actually Francis stalking her _(she was alone)_. She looked around and heard something rather interesting: a piano playing something ancient or something. Charice blinked.

_This sounds really good…_ She blinked. _I never heard anyone playing music this well before…this can't be a nation, they have patience…_

She had spoken to humans before, even more than the other nations, so she knew what she was going to say to him. Her ears made her feet walk to one specific location where the music was the loudest, and then she opened the door. Instantly she felt like sparkles harassed her face, and then she turned her head and saw a white piano with a man playing on the end of it.

He was a young man with short, brown hair and glasses. The clothes he had on looked elegant and noble, but on second looks they looked old like he wore them on the basis of ever. Other than that, he looked almost flawless…elegant…for the lack of a better word, noble…shining…nope, there are no more words to say.

"May I help you?"

She froze and turned her head. The man had just noticed her and was now looking at her with keen interest. How far off the deep end is she to think that his eyes were noble-looking? Then again, she's the type of person who would hunt down tsunderes like they were chicken in her farms, so…

"Um…I just…heard music, so…I just…came in…and…stuff…_**nice music!"**_ She chirped. "Yeah…I wanted…to say…that…you know…nice piano playing…and stuff."

"It's Chopin."

"Hah?"

"Frederic Chopin. Aeolian Harp,Etude Op. 25 in A-flat major."

"…oh." She blinked. "Aeolian Harp…"

"It's one of the small things that he had done. Popular in writing so many pieces." He started playing something else. "Etude in E-major Op.10 No. 3."

"Just as beautiful." Charice stared at the piano strings. "You're really good at this."

"I've had a long time to practice." He answered with a smile. "You like classical music?"

"Just music in general." She answered. "Anything that gets the mind going."

"It sounds like you have some creativity in your mind as well."

_Not in the same sense that you might be thinking, but sure._ "I've been told that."

"This world is losing some of that talent." He stated as he continued to play. "No music changes the world anymore…it's only to entertain, not to move. Long ago, there were people that would spend everything just to listen to the music of one man."

"Yeah…long time ago, it was only one person writing on a piece of paper that shaped the world." She sighed. If she was in Europe around that time, she would've checked out this Chopin guy. "Now a days, we get Justin Bieber."

"Don't get me started."

"Thank you."

The two of them sat in silence, listening to him play the song that he was playing _(she forgot the title)_ as he started playing something else. Her mind drifted off and she started remembering something: sunny meadows, running around with her people, all who respected her like a deity, the woman who never died…the familiar swish of a flag that changed her life forever…the smile that shone with golden eyes….

"My name is Roderich."

"Hah?"

"Roderich Edelstein." He looked up. "You?"

"Oh…uh…C-Charice. Charice Pacquiao." She rubbed out her memories. "Just…call me Charice."

"I assumed that already." He looked down to the piano. "Charice…never heard a name like that before."

"Well…t-that's because it's not from…around here." She spun her finger. "It's Asian."

"Asian? Well, that's something I haven't seen in a while. I've been surrounded by no one other than Europeans for quite some time." He stopped and looked up. "Nice to meet you, Charice."

"…sure…um…nice to meet you too." _Dazzling me…too much…god, please tell me I'm not blushing…_

They quietly shook hands, allowing Roderich to pause and stare at their hands. She blinked, wondering if she shook hands wrong _(is that even possible?)_ before he looked back up to her eye level.

"You act more mature than you look, Charice."

"Um…I get…that…" _What is he aiming at?_

"You're older than you look, aren't you?"

"It's an Asian thing." She rubbed the back of her head. "Ahahaha…"

"No…it's a nation thing."

She froze.

"It takes one to know one, Charice." He smiled. "Though I would be partially lying. Elizabeta told me of your arrival."

"Eliza…so…you must be Austria…"

"That's my name." He looked up. "You look surprised."

"…_it's my natural look…have it all the time…"_

"Ah." He didn't buy it. "Now then…what Asian country are you?"

"…Philippines…only half of it though…"

"Like Feliciano? Interesting." He nodded. "I guess I do see a little bit of him in you."

"How?"

"Same oblivious smile, basically. But in this world, it's not surprising to see similar people."

"Yeah, I guess…" She shrugged. "But that's just how it is, right?"

"Yeah…big world."

Charice really couldn't believe it. First of all, it's a nation with patience and without a perverted sense. And second, he was married before. How they got divorced, she'll never understand. Heck, he and Elizabeta were perfect for each other…unless the humans had something to do with it. She couldn't help but sigh.

_Yeah…love really is useless for us nations, huh?_

**/=+=/**

**Yaaay, new chappie~!**


	60. Yes, He Has His Moments Too

**Because the Philippines have a lot of them running around…**

**/=+=/**

"So this is Poland…" Charice looked around.

"You sound like you've never been here before." Ludwig stared at her.

"Ve~~~I don't think she has." Feliciano looked around.

"She, like, totally hasn't." Feliks laughed. "If she did, she wouldn't be, like, coming to this meeting."

"Um…I kinda had to, even though I've been looking around for places to explore." She rubbed the back of her head.

"You…_**had**_ to." Ludwig stared at her again.

"…long story…let's hope I never get to tell it."

**/=+=/**

When they came to the meeting hall, they ended up seeing that everyone was there as always. Alfred was enjoying Arthur and Francis arguing with each other, and this was the first time that she saw the Baltic nations that she heard Ivan talk about the majority of the time. Charice couldn't help but think that the boy named Raivis was adorable.

As the meeting started, she ended up sitting next to Feliciano and an empty chair that was supposed to be filled by her brother. No one remarked on it _(thinking that he was just late or had to see something)_ as they started the talks. Throughout the talk, Charice turned and saw that Feliciano was staring at the chair next to her.

"_Ve~~~wh-where's Rizal?"_

"_I saw him a few hours ago, and he said that he was going to be back…"_ Charice sighed. _"Hopefully, nothing bad happens today…"_

"_Ve?"_

The meeting was called for a break and Ludwig found this as an opportune time to head over to the bathroom. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary at the moment, but he couldn't help but wonder where Rizal was. He was never late for a meeting, much less skipping the first half of one…

Barely had that thought crossed his mind when he felt something tighten around his neck. He gasped for breath and was about to turn around when he felt a heel on his back that forced him to the ground. This person was reading him well, for five milliseconds later he pulled out the hidden handgun in his jacket and tied his arms back.

"Who…who the hell are you?"

"…you know me quite well, Ludwig." The voice answered, sounding feminine. "Though I have to say…you look so vulnerable in this position…and you're supposed to be a strong country."

"Shit…how in the world am I supposed to know who you are?"

"Ah, Ludwig…_don't I sound familiar?"_

**/=+=/**

"Um…Feliks?"

"What is it, Alfred?"

"…where's Germany?"

Everyone turned to his empty seat, worrying a few people in the room. Where would Ludwig go when a meeting was just about to start up again? He's not one to ditch a meeting unless something happened to his brother…and he was sleeping on the couch on the other side _(whatever that was supposed to be)._

"Ve~~~! Do you think something happened to Lud-sama?"

"Well, he's a strong guy, so-" Charice turned her head. "…Lud-sama?"

"Elizabeta said it sounded cuter…"

"…true."

Charice was about to say something when the door threw themselves open. She looked up and saw that Ludwig was on a leash with his hands tied behind his back, being forced forward by someone that looked like a young woman. Her hair was greased down, shining an extremely dark blue and wearing a rather provocative maid uniform _(making Francis drool…like you were expecting anything else)_. Her eyes skimmed through the people.

"H-hey…" Ludwig turned his head. "You're surrounded, so you better let me go…!"

"Ah, Ludwig…you know me so much better than that."

Before they knew it, he was being pinned to his chair with a throw and a heeled foot to his shoulder. It was rather provocative to say the least, and half the men in the room had to stifle their nosebleeds. Even Gilbert, who had just woken up to see the woman's fishnet stockings. Meanwhile, Charice sighed.

"Rizal, will you _**please**_ try to control yourself…?"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"**HOLY CRAP** that's _**Rizal?**__**"**_

"Dude, that's totally unawesome!"

"Why does he look like a woman?"

"Why does he look more like a woman than I DO?"

The whole room was in utter confusion as Ludwig stared at the "woman" staring back at him. Sure, the golden eyes were traits that Rizal had…but he knew that other people had golden eyes…at least, he really hoped so. He grumbled.

"Now then…since everyone has seen me, can you please let me go?"

"…why not." He looked up. "Who wants to join in the fun?"

Was it bad to say that Gilbert was raising his hand and swinging it around like an impatient child at the time? Or was it because he didn't hear Charice call out his name?

**/= [ONE DAY LATER…] =/**

"…Charice…"

"Oh hey, Doitsu-ki~!" She turned her head. "I see that you've been freed."

"…just…barely…" He started rubbing his neck. "…what the hell was that."

"Was what?"

"_**THE TOWERING INFERNO THAT WAS REIGNING OVER THE CITY…**_geez, **RIZAL'S KINKY CRAP!****"**Arthur had to butt in.

"Oh, that…yeah, it's a phase that he goes through every few years…since the beginning of the 90s." She sighed. "He likes dressing in girl's clothing around that phase…though I haven't seen the kinky stuff before…"

"You mean…?"

"The fact that he tied you up and leashed you on a dog collar was definitely not anything I gave him…he tends to avoid the stuff Kiku gives me." She lifted her arms up. "If they came from Francis though…I wouldn't be surprised."

"Francis affects the young in such stupid ways…" Arthur sighed. "Where's Rizal?"

"He's in hiding. He's talking about burrowing into the sand for about a few years until everyone barely remembers this." Charice sighed. "Then again, he seemed to be extremely animated during all that…"

"Are you saying he _**wanted**_ to do that to me…?" Ludwig's eyes widened.

"In that phase? Sure. He'll do it to anyone in that phase. Must be in the bisexual gene or something." She shrugged. "Out of it…I have no idea."

If only they knew.

**/=+=/**

**Now, I'm pretty sure that bisexuals aren't all promiscuous like that…but this is an entire show on stereotypes and that was one of them. No offense to any of them, cause I have a friend who's bi.**


	61. Wa! Wa! Wa! World! REMIX!

**BECAUSE WE ALL KNOW HOW UNFAIR IT WAS WHEN WE LISTENED TO THE SONG AND THERE WEREN'T ANY OF OUR FAVORITES ON IT. This is just for justification purposes, and because I like music and write to make them make sense…this is going to take forever ;_;**

**/=+=/**

"Hey, Charice."

"What is it, Eliza?"

"Have you heard that new song that the guys recorded a few days ago?"

"…what song?"

"You know, I have a copy! You wanna listen?"

"_**Hell yeah**_ I do."

The both of them leaned in and began listening to it. She lifted her head and almost bumped into Anri _(scaring her). _Halfway through the song, she couldn't help but notice that Antonio, Lovino and Gilbert were trying to listen to it as well. The song ended, and she saw that Matthew was sitting next to her and Roderich was beaming about something.

"What's with you?" She remarked.

"I wrote the background music." He answered. "I'm glad to see you like it."

"_It was beautiful."_ Matthew smiled.

"I thought it was good." Antonio clapped his hands together.

"It's cool because mein bruder's in it." Gilbert grinned.

"It's freaking annoying." Lovino spat. "Mi fratello's too happy in this."

"…eh." Berwald shrugged.

"This sounds so freaking awesome…" Charice looked up. "You know what I'm thinking?"

"You're smiling…this must be good." Anri looked at her.

"…who's up for a song revamp?"

"**AWESOME!"**

"_Shit, that means I have to sing, don't I?"_

"Aw…is Lovi-chan shy?"

"_Shut up, Antonio."_

**[PLEASE STAND BY AS THE REVAMP IS TAKING PLACE…]**

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

**[OK, WE'RE READY~!]**

…

…

…

***cue the music***

**EVERYONE: WA! WA! Wa!**

**SPAIN: Soooresore SORE! **_(Yay, yay!)_

**EVERYONE: WA! WA! Wa!**

**CANADA: Soooore sore.** _(Yay, yay!)_

**TAIWAN: Hi-YAH! Hi-YAH!**

***more music***

**HUNGARY: Sore SOLE!** _(Yay, yay!) _ **Szia! T****anoshimi ni sanka suru****.** _(Hello! Join in the fun!)_

**AUSTRIA: ****Watashi wa dansu o shiji shimasu.**_ (I will instruct the dances.)_

**PRUSSIA: ****Sore wa subarashiidesu yo!**_ (It'll be awesome!)_

**BELGIUM: ****Sekai ga anata o matte imasu.**_ (The world awaits you.)_** SORE!**

**EVERYONE: WA! WA! Wa! WORLD! WA! WA! Wa! WORLD!**

**HUNGARY: Maruku wa ni nari. **_(Become a circle.)_

**PRUSSIA: Hana ni nari! **_(Become a flower!)_

**EVERYONE: WORLD ondo wo odorimashou~! **_(Let's dance to the World ondo~!)_

***music break***

**BELGIUM: O SOLE!**

**SPAIN: Anata wa hohoemu hazu!** _(You should smile!)_

**ROMANO: ****Ī****e, s****ō**** hanarete iku. **_(No, so go away.)_

**CANADA:** **Kono futs****ū**** no kaiwadesu ka?**_ (Is this normal conversation?)_

**PRUSSIA: SUBARASHII! ****Rettsug****ō****!** _(Awesome! Let's go!)_

**TAIWAN: P****ā****titaimu!**_ (Party time!)_ **SHANGHAI!**

**EVERYONE: WA! WA! Wa! WORLD! WA! WA! Wa! WORLD!**

**CANADA: Maruku wa ni nari.** _(Become a circle.)_

**SPAIN: Hana ni nari.** _(Become a flower.)_

**EVERYONE: WORLD ondo wo odorimashou~!**___(Let's dance to the World ondo~!)_

***music break***

They all danced the night away, completely forgetting why they were in the music room in the first place.

**/=+=/**

**The only reason why I didn't put Charice in this song is in case this is so good that someone wants to make a YouTube parody of this song **_**(hint, hint)**_**. My other plan was to make them sing in their own languages…and that became more painful than just making them sing in Japanese. Serously.**


	62. Balut and Other Filipino Dishes

**Yum yum yum. Hush up, eat up, and watch this~!**

**/=+=/**

Lovino had no idea what was in front of him. He stared at the frozen treat in front of him, with purple and yellow ice cream on top of a whole bunch of ice and what looked like beans and chewy stuff on the bottom. He turned his head and saw that Charice was serving everyone else the same thing with a huge smile on her face.

"Eat up~! I made it with happiness~!" She chirped.

"…Rizal." Lovino looked to the boy in front of him. "What the hell is this?"

"Halo-halo. It's a unique dessert in our culture." He answered. "Ube and cheese ice cream on top of shaved ice covered with condensed milk, and the bottom is the true essence of the dessert."

"…what the fuck is ube?"

"Purple yam."

"I ain't eatin' this crap."

"I know you will." Rizal leaned forward.

"Ve~~~this tastes this really good, fratello!" Feliciano chirped, eating the dessert with that weird smile on his face. "You should try it!"

"Hell no."

"You're being unawesome there, dude." Gilbert already finished the top half.

"I ain't eating this-"

***gulp***

Five seconds of blanking out, a spoon was shoved into his mouth. Rizal was getting so annoyed that he shoved a spoonful before he could take a rant. Lovino had to admit it: it wasn't…that bad. But still. He gave up and ate it in peace. At least the others seemed to be enjoying this.

"Ce que…never had something this diverse before…is this like ice cream?"

"Yeah. But someone forgot to blend everything together and just threw it in a cup and gave it to someone to eat." Charice grinned, her cup twice as big as the others. "Halo-halo…the best treat in all the Philippines~!"

"Hell yeah it is!" Alfred was gulping it all down. "Omnomnomnom…_**OW!"**_

"_A-Alfred…you ate too fast!"_

"No I didn't…ow…"

"He likes it!" Charice laughed. "That, my friend, is a true eater of Filipino delicacies~!"

"I…must…have…more…" Alfred grabbed his spoon.

"Hey, America! If you don't want that, I'll take care of it-"

"_**Get your unawesome hands off my cup, Gilbert. I mean it."**_

***growl***

…

"Wow." Rizal grinned. "He's enjoying this."

"So what, you're just force-feeding us your cuisine?" Lovino spat.

"Yeah. I mean, we ate all your food…why not show you ours~?" Charice laughed. "So we spent all of last night making some!"

"We tried doing dessert first, because that usually gets your attention." Rizal grinned. "Now that you're stuck eating those, we get to show you the other stuff we made."

Lovino grumbled as he saw Rizal head in the back before pulling out another tray of stuff. He placed one of them in front of Lovino, and he had no idea what it was: it was…a white cupcake. There was really nothing around it. He risked taking a bite out of it, and to his surprise…it tasted nothing like a cupcake.

"The hell is this?"

"_**YAAAAAAY~!**_ Chari-chan made puto!" Feliciano downed about three of them at the same time.

"Rizal made these, this time. He makes his taste like cakes!" Charice ate hers in peace.

"Hm…I wondered what flavor this is…this is rice, correct?" Francis pointed at it.

"Rice cakes!" Charice winked. "Rizal style."

"I didn't know you could cook, dude." Alfred grinned.

"Because Charice is the one who hogs the kitchen half the time." He answered, eating his in peace. "What was I supposed to do, chase her out when she has a knife in her hands?"

No one said anything after that.

**/=+=/**

The rest of the meal was rather interesting. The adobo wasn't that bad _(Gilbert and Charice were fighting over the last meat piece, to which Matthew took it)_. The only soup that they brought in _(Rizal called it sinigang)_ was oddly sour, and poor Alfred almost gagged on it. Francis loved it. Lovino sure didn't. In fact, the only thing he could stomach after that was the lechon. Never mind the fact that Gilbert and Charice kept fighting over everything.

"Ve~~~is there anything else?"

"Just one more."

It was then that Charice placed one egg in front of everyone, and placed a plate with vinegar and a salt shaker in the middle of the table. Everyone stared at the egg for a few minutes, wondering what the hell that was supposed to be. They all looked at Charice, who had just picked up her egg.

"What is this…?" Francis picked up his egg.

"Balut." Rizal answered, quietly. "…think of it as a boiled egg."

"How is this unique to you guys?" Lovino asked.

"Eat it. You'll see."

They had to admit: the egg did taste different from Western eggs. Sweeter, maybe? After a few minutes, Francis finally found out what was so unique about the egg. He blinked for a few minutes before looking at Charice.

"Do you have any salt?"

"Right over there."

"Thank you kindly." He sprinkled a bit of salt on it before eating it again. "Hm…not bad. I think I like this."

"It's the best one out there." Charice winked, slurping out the sauce.

"What're you talking about, dude?" Alfred continued to bite inside the egg.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"**OH MY GOD THERE'S A FETUS IN THIS!"**

"_**VEEEEE~~~!"**_

"Stop fussing, it's not that bad." Lovino sighed, grabbing the salt.

"Says the guy coating the damn thing in salt."

"Shut up, Rizal. At least I'm eating this."

"I'll give you that." Rizal ate his next piece.

"Ve~~~" Feliciano forced a bit in his mouth. "…this is weird."

"Not really." Charice ate hers. "Add salt, everyone's happy."

"…this reminds me of Gilbird…" Gilbert stared at his egg. "Poor Gilbird…"

"It's a duck egg." Rizal blinked.

"Oh. Okay." He ate into it. "…taste like chicken."

"All birds taste like chicken." Lovino rolled his eyes.

"_Well…if you get past the gag reflex, it tastes pretty good."_ Matthew looked at Alfred. _"Are you going to eat yours, Alfred?"_

"…"

"You OK there, man?" Rizal looked at him.

"…Rizal?" Alfred turned to him. "What's in your hand?"

"Oh, just the beak." Rizal lifted it up. "Helps to clean between the teeth."

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Alfred?"

**/=+=/**

**Ah, I love halo-halo. Funny story: I used to hate halo-halo until a few years ago. Now I love it to death~**


	63. MY GOD, STOP SINGING!

**Another singing chapter. My god, I have to stop. The thing is, me and my sister finally watched ****Tangled**_**(I know…I listened to the music but never watched the movie. WTF?)**_** and I was inspired…tainted…I'm not really sure anymore…**

**/=+=/**

"Li Xiao? You're here too?" Charice blinked. "That means…"

"Yes. Arthur's been casting again."

"That's horrible, da ze! This is the first meeting I ever had in Austria!"

Rizal slapped his forehead as he walked with the three of them to the meeting hall. To his surprise, he saw that everyone was there already and not going anywhere past insane. As the four of them sat quietly at their chairs, Arthur and Francis were bickering as usual and Antonio was bragging about how he can juggle tomatoes like nothing was wrong.

"_Oh god…"_ Charice shivered. _"This can only mean one thing…"_

"_Zombie apocalypse, da ze?"_

"_Yeah…"_

He and Li Xiao stared at each other for a few minutes before the meeting formally started. They watched as people went on to talk about things, even went on to actively participate whenever they were needed. It was almost _**too**_ normal…so much so that it was scary. _What could…possibly go wrong…?_

"Well then…does anyone have any final words?"

"I just want to say something." Alfred grinned. "On August 28th, I'm opening a memorial for Martin Luther King."

"I've heard of that, da ze!" Yong Soo chirped. "He had some dream, right?"

"Yep…he had a dream…" He sighed. "I had a dream once…"

It was then that Roderich had moved from his chair and was playing the piano. Rizal slammed his head on the table. _Oh dear god, please don't tell me…_

**Alfred****: I'm the man who runs the show, with my people HIGH and **_low_.** Spreading peace around the world like pin and piero~~~**

"God, why?"

"I'm…not sure."

**Alfred****: But despite my killer looks, with my cowlick and my hooks~ **_(points at muscles)_**…I have all I need to be a major hero!**

"They're…breaking out into song…" Rizal sighed.

"This is getting…interesting." Li Xiao blinked.

**Alfred****: Yeah, just look into the sky and see me flying…with a smile that's so heroic that it gleaaams~~~ yeah, it's the dream until I die to be Superman **_**(no lie!)**_**…and for sure that is the truth, I got a dreaaam~**

"Oh god…" Rizal sighed. "…what could possibly get any worse?"

**Everyone****: HE'S GOT A DREAM! HE'S GOT A DREAM!**

**Alfred****: See, I ain't as blunt and stupid as I seeeem~**

_(punches someone out)_

"Oh fuck."

**Alfred****: Though I'm deathly scared of screamers, you can **_**count me**_** with the dreamers! Like everybody else I've got a dream!**

Before he knew it, everyone was standing up and breaking out into song. Rizal had to bash his head on the table to keep himself from killing someone. And Francis just happened to be in front of him.

"This is not working…" Rizal turned his head. "Li Xiao-"

**Li Xiao****: I've been raised by crazy westerns and complicated interns, and fortunately that's all I'm completely free of…**

"…oh no."

**Li Xiao****: But despite the stupid pushes…like the "arus" and these bushes **_(points to eyebrows)_**, I'm here to go and find my one true loooove~ I'VE GOT A DREAM**

**Everyone****: HE'S GOT A DREAM!**

**Li Xiao****: I'VE GOT A DREAM.**

**Everyone****: HE'S GOT A DREAM!**

**Li Xiao****: And I know one day romance will reign supreeeme~**

Rizal could really not believe what he was watching right now.

**Li Xiao****: And those this curse leaves people screaming, there's a child behind it dreaming…like everybody else, I've got a dream.**

He really, really wanted to leave now. He turned his head and sighed.

"Charice-"

**Charice****: I've got a dream!**

**Everyone****: SHE'S GOT A DREAM!**

**Charice****: I've got a dream!**

**Everyone****: SHE'S GOT A DREAM!**

**Charice****: I just want a man that makes my heart go **_**siiing.**_** I mean, someone who's not gay **_**(I swear, I've been meeting them all day!)**_** Like all you lovely folks, I've got a dream~!**

He slammed his head across the table and wondered where was the nearest bar. He was going to drink a lot tonight.


	64. There Are Not Enough Naive Jokes

**Because we can never rub it in too much~**

**/=+=/**

There was a vacation for the tired nations, and as always Feliciano visited him with that smile on his face. He just wasn't expecting the Filipina to be following suit with a smile that was a little creepier than that. Gilbert didn't seem to mind _(which scared him even more)_, but then again Feliciano was safe in Charice's hands.

"Ve~~~I wanna make pasta today…"

"Oooooh, what should we make? The usual or the really thin stuff that you were talking about?" Charice leaned in.

"…the angel hair."

"The stuff you were saying it is!"

Were they really that oblivious to everything? Ludwig sighed as he sat quietly in his office trying to sort out some papers in front of him. After a few minutes of just hearing clinking of the pots and the Italian's strange tics, he heard a knock on the doorway. He looked up and saw Rizal standing there with a cup of water in his hand.

"Delivery from the homebase." He grinned.

"Thanks." He quietly took the cup. "I was getting thirsty."

"Were you that preoccupied with your work?"

"There are just some things that only a nation can understand. You out of all people should know that."

"Yeah…that's true. But then again my boss is more than insistent that I learn of the world outside of the office." Rizal turned back to Ludwig. "Did yours ever say something like that?"

"Sometimes…but in the end, he's grateful for the work that I do. So I end up doing it anyway."

"At least you're dedicated to your work…" Rizal sighed. "It's going to start making gray hairs…if Feliciano isn't doing that already."

"He's a handful." Ludwig sighed as well. "But not as much as-"

"_**No Gilbert, **__**NO!**__**"**_

"…him." He stood up. "I'll be back."

"All right."

"Oh, uh…" Ludwig was next to him. "Is it OK if you get a file from that shelf over there? It says '2010 Records' on it."

"…in German, I'm assuming."

"Yes."

"…all right…"

Unfortunately, out of all the things that Rizal had learned…the German word for 'records' wasn't one of them. Ludwig was already out the door when he turned around, and he decided that he was going to figure it out on his own. As the German rounded the corner, he saw that Gilbert was in the kitchen as well.

"Hey, I'm just saying that it'll make the dish a lot more awesome!"

"**Pasta dishes don't have beer in them!"** Charice screamed.

"Oh, come on! Dishes have alcoholic drinks in them!"

"That's vodka and wine! _**Beer isn't one of them!"**_

"Ve~~~! Please stop fighting!"

"Yeah, Charice! You're scaring him!"

"Will you two please _**stop arguing…?"**_

The two of them meeped and left each other alone. Ludwig dragged Gilbert back into the living room before walking back to his office. Sure enough, he saw Rizal in front of the shelf reading something as the book he was looking for was on the desk. Ludwig looked at the cover and nodded.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." He answered, looking through the book.

"Um…what are you reading?" Ludwig leaned to the side. "Records?"

"I…thought it was records. It fell out when I pulled out the book so I wanted to make sure that it was part of the record."

"It wasn't?"

"No." Rizal looked up with a confused look on his face. "It's really strange…there're pictures in here…some really strange ones."

"…strange?"

Rizal turned to him as he lifted up to cover, allowing Ludwig to see it.

The cover read "BDSM."

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"Is this yours?"

"…h-huh?" Ludwig's face was completely red.

"Is this yours?" Rizal tilted his head.

"…n-no…" He turned his head away. "It's…Gilbert's."

Rizal stared in the magazine for a few minutes longer _(making Ludwig blush even more)_ before he turned back to the blushing German.

"Do you want some of Kiku's stuff? There're a lot better."

"_**NO!"**_

**/=+=/**

**Ahahahaha…**


	65. How Rizal Deals With The YoYo

"Hey, Rizal."

"Kiku? What's up?"

"I could not help but notice that you like to use that yo-yo a lot."

"Oh, this? Yeah, I'm used to it." He answered as he spun it around his arm. "I just like using it. It feels like a part of me I don't want to get rid of, you know?"

"I know well what you mean. Which is why I wanted you to test out a yo-yo that my people want to sell to the mass media."

"Really?"

Kiku nodded as he headed to his bag and silently fished out a strange looking yo-yo before handing it back to him. Rizal stared at it for a few minutes before realizing that this was supposed to be a Master Ball…shaped as a yo-yo. He blinked and turned his head back to him.

"…really?"

"Yes. Pokemon is one of our popular trademarks, you know."

"I know, but…really?"

"Yes."

"All right…you may want to step back on this."

Kiku did so, watching as Rizal started spinning the yo-yo around his shoulder, around his arm, and basically did a whole bunch of tricks that almost made Kiku cry out of jealousy…if it hadn't been for the fact that this was purely for scientific purposes. After a few minutes, he sighed and turned back to Kiku.

"It's a little heavier than what I'm used to, and wider than a normal yo-yo…but other than that, it's durable enough. Though I have to say that its usable life before breakage is going to be at least a few months if I'm using it."

"That is…remarkable, Rizal. How can you tell?"

"I'm just used to yo-yos, that's all. Fought off three countries with this back in the day…you included."

"Yes, I remember. You were feared with my men, last time I checked."

"Well, that's an honor I'm willing to take."

"Speaking of which, I must thank you."

"For what?"

"I am aware of how…suspicious you are with other nations, but to allow me to befriend your sister after those hard times…"

"She just got curious, is all. And between you and Alfred, I much rather prefer you."

"How about Antonio?"

The yo-yo thudded on the ground, and Kiku learned of his answer. Just then, they heard Charice skipping through the hallway with a chirp in her mouth, snapping Rizal back to normal. Kiku couldn't help but shiver at the cloud that he had barely passed without a scratch. That could've been dangerous territory.

"What're you doing there, kuya~?"

"Kiku wanted me to try out this yo-yo. I don't like it, but you might."

"Why? Oooooh, it's a Master Ball!" She oogled over it for a while. "This works~!"

"Do you even know how to use it?" Kiku asked.

Before his eyes, he saw Charice portray the mastery of the yo-yo similar to Rizal: spinning it over her head, jumping over it when it spun under her feet, swinging it like a sword, the works. After a few long minutes, Charice handed it back to Rizal with a confused look on her face.

"Seems fine to me."

"Your tastes got dull, Charice. It's still heavy." Rizal answered with a sigh. "But then again, how long has it been since you used a yo-yo?"

"Don't get me started…in that case, I guess I can have this then?"

"Go ahead."

Kiku blinked for a few minutes as Charice chirped over her new yo-yo and headed out to test it out. The Japanese man walked next to Rizal and stared at him for a few minutes.

"She…knows how to use it?"

"She's the one who taught me how to use it." He answered. "Though she prefers that poleaxe for some reason."

"Oh…is that it?"

"Yeah. She hasn't used it for quite some time, so she's getting a little rusty on it…"

They stared at each other for some time until…

"_**OOOWWWW!"**_

"_**Yaaaaay~!**_ I caught a Lovi-chan~!"

"_**WHAT THE FUCK DOES **__**THAT**__** MEAN?"**_

"I wanna rename him, I wanna rename him~!"

"_**You're not renaming ANYBODY!"**_

"I wanna name him SPARKY!"

"_**WHAT THE FUCK KINDA NAME IS THAT?"**_

"Yaaaaay~! I caught a Lovi-chan named Sparky!

"_**FUCK YOU!"**_

"Can I~?"

He shut up.


	66. Mafia VS Yakuza

**I just found what could be the world's best show on the face of this planet: "Deadliest Warriors". It basically gets two people that won't meet in history **_**(except for this one time that I couldn't help but question) **_**and shows who the stronger one is. Unfortunately, they don't do the Pirates VS Ninja war that will go on until forever, but they did do this episode. I loved it.**

**/=+=/**

"Hey, Alfred."

"Yeah, Charice?"

"You had mafia people running around your land a long time ago, right?"

"A while ago, why?" Alfred tilted his head.

"Well…were they anything like The Godfather?"

"A few of them…none of them had the really weird voice." He laughed. "Then again, they're just as ruthless."

"I figured that much…though I have to admit that I did find it odd."

"Found **what** to be odd?"

"Well…they had to be Italian to be a mafia gangbanger."

"Yeah, the shock goes away after a while." Alfred laughed. "But yeah, only Italians get into the club. What's weirder was that I heard rumors that Feliciano and Lovino were mafia men as well."

"_**Feli-chan and Lovi-chan? **__**NOOOOOOO.**__**"**_ Charice started shaking her hands. _**"I refuse to believe that."**_

"And their little brother too. Adriano, I think his name was…crazy three. Running around like they owned the place…"

"They have a _**brother**__**?"**_

"Yeah. Adriano. Supposed to be Seborga or something like that. He hangs out with the other little kids, so I don't really worry about him-"

"_My Feli-chaaan…with a guuunn…"_ Charice sobbed. _"But…he's my Feli-chaaaaan…"_

"Who the fuck said he was yours, dipshit?"

"_**I DID!"**_

Alfred stared at Charice as Lovino and Feliciano came out of the shadows of the building with smiles on their faces. Only Alfred knew what was wrong: their eyes were glowing a strange red, and I think Feliciano was packing heat in his jacket pocket. Poor Charice didn't notice that…she only noticed the little boy with them, the one with the inner tube.

"You must be Adriano~!" She chirped. "I'm Charice, pleasure to meet you~!"

"Pleasure to meet you too." The boy said, with the same red eyes. Alfred shivered. "Are you questioning our mafia roots?"

"Hah?"

That's when she got it.

"_**NO!**_ No, no no no no no no no!" She shook her hands. "I'm just not…used to thinking of you guys like that!"

"Ve~~~but we were mafia hitmen once before." Feliciano grinned. "We still have a bit running through our blood…"

Charice hid behind Alfred and whimpered.

"I love how you remember your past like this…but really, do you seriously think that you're stronger than me?"

Charice froze as she saw Kiku walk toward them with a strange grin on his face too. It was then that they both saw it: his eyes were glowing a bright red as well. They both shivered: Kurokiku. Just what they wanted at a time like _**this…**_

"I happen to have Yakuza blood in my veins as well…and I think I'm stronger than you."

"You have enough balls to try saying that to our face, huh?" Lovino grinned, pulling out a _**random shotgun**_ from his jacket. "Why don't we settle this with a battle, huh?"

"Three on three. Best group wins." Kiku pulled out his gun _(where the fuck are these guns COMING FROM?)_ "Though I won't try rubbing my victory in your face…"

"Try us." Feliciano grinned.

"Uuuuhhh…" Charice stepped forward. "No actual killing. Use rubber bullets and paintball guns, please?"

"_They're not going to listeeennn…"_ Alfred shivered.

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"Fine."

"If the lady insists."

"There's an abandoned building just a few blocks from here. Meet us there in an hour with your group."

"I will do so."

And they turned and headed their own separate ways. Alfred and Charice stood there for a few minutes before they slowly turned to each other.

"…did they just listen to you?"

"I think they did…why?"

"Um…I guess their actual personalities aren't overshadowed by their phases…_**thank god."**_

**/=+=/**

Alfred and Charice were the first ones there at the building, waiting patiently for something to happen. It was then that they realized that Kiku had shown up with two people by his side. One of them had short black hair with a hoodie and nunchuks under his sleeves _(Charice had grown into noticing these things)_, while the other one had wild light brown hair and a teal vest…and was covered with rolls of bullets. Alfred shivered.

"So the bastards decided not to show up then?" The bullet-covered man laughed. "Guess we won this round."

"Calm yourself, Takuya. I'm sure that they'll come eventually."

"How so?" The other man fixed his hood. "They're almost late."

"Knowing them, Michiru…they're already here."

That freaked the hell out of Alfred and Charice. They stared at each other before trying to find a good place to cover. And then they found out there were no places to hide. Charice thanked the gods that she was wearing a bulletproof vest underneath her dress…on the off chance that they decided against the rubber bullets. That's when the guy named Michiru noticed her.

"Heeey…isn't that the Charice chick you were talking about, Kiku?"

"What about her?" Kurokiku spat back.

"She _**does**_ look kinda cute~! No wonder you like her-"

_***glare***_

They all shut up

"Well well, looks like he knows us to the T."

Alfred and Charice jumped as they saw the three Italians turn the corner and faced them, Feliciano wielding a baseball bat that looked…heavy. So much for being America's past time. He'll never see baseball the same way again.

"Nice to see you showed up." Lovino grinned, spinning his gun around.

"I never back away from a challenge." Kiku grinned back. "You must have me mistaken for Feliciano."

"Must we always come back to me?" Feliciano pouted _(in his usual cute way that actually scared Charice)_. "I'm not that bad."

"We all know how bad you are." Michiru stuck out his tongue. "Worse one outta the bunch, I gotta say!"

"Are we going to talk crap this entire time?" The young Adriano sighed _(scaring Alfred this time)_. "I wanna shoot someone!"

"On the cue, Adriano." Lovino stated.

"…what cue?" Alfred blinked.

"I dunno…" Charice shrugged. "Maybe they're waiting for a _**go**_ or a-"

Five seconds later, bullets started flying in the air. Alfred and Charice screamed bloody murder and threw themselves into a hiding position behind one of the desks. Alfred risked looking up, barely seeing a bottle fly over their heads and create a huge flame over their heads.

"Shit, it's a bomb-!" Alfred spat.

"Where do we go from here?" Charice panicked.

"Out the door, maybe?"

The two of them scrambled out just to see Takuya and Adriano literally shoot each other down. Charice was about to panic when she realized that they actually did head her pleas and used paintball guns. Still, that gotta hurt. She clung onto Alfred as they headed toward the back exit, noticing that Michiru and Feliciano were duking each other out with the bats and nunchuks.

"I'm guessing the back exit is a bad idea?" Charice looked to Alfred.

"_**Why in the world are they blocking out all the exits?"**_ Alfred spat. "Oh, I got it! Head for the basement! They usually have an outside exit!"

"_Whatever you say…"_

The two of them headed down the stairs, hearing gunshots roaring from behind them _("WAY TO GO, ALFRED!")_ before they finally reached the basement. Alfred was about to throw Charice in front of him when he looked up and realized that Kiku and Lovino were now out of bullets and were now bashing each other to death with…knives.

"_**Why the hell do they have knives?"**_ Charice panicked.

"I dunno, but I don't want to know any time soon!" Alfred panicked. "We should-"

"_**Hey, Kiku!**_ Having fun getting your head beaten in?"

"I'm having fun, thank you very much." Kiku grinned. "How about you? You're losing a bit, aren't you?"

"We're one-on-one now." Lovino spun his gun around. "Mano-a-mano?"

"Gladly."

Alfred and Charice watched as they literally mugged each other to the end. A few tense minutes passed _(Alfred was actually enjoying himself)_ before Kiku punched Lovino to the ground, spinning his knife around and sheathing it with a smile on his face.

"Well then…I guess the best man won."

"Yeah. He did."

***BANG!***

Charice yelped as Kiku fell to the ground, revealing that Feliciano had won his duel and had shot the final blow. He grinned as he cocked his gun and tapped the bat on his shoulder, a final sign of victory. All he needed was a cigarette.

**[****WINNER:**** Mafia]**

"That was…messed up." Alfred shivered. "Can we go home now-"

"_**Yaaaaaaay~! **_You did great, Feli-chaan~!"

"_**Charice! **_Don't do tha-!"

_*chu*_

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"Ve~~~~Charice kissed me."

Alfred's jaw literally crashed onto the ground as Feliciano shifted back and forth from the peck on the cheek. It was around that time that everyone else came back to the basement, bruised but all right. Lovino sat up and rubbed the back of his head.

"_All right…who won?"_

"I did, fratello~!" Feliciano chirped. "And Charice kissed me too~"

"_**What?"**_

"You want one too, Lovi-chan?"

"_**HELL NO!"**_

"I do, I do!"

"All right, Adriano~!"

_*chu*_

"Heeheeheehee…it tickles."

Lovino mumbled some choice words as Kiku finally rose from his position. He talked to his group for a while before Charice chirped and started dancing toward them.

"Don't think I forgot you, Ki-chan~!"

"E-eh?"

_*chu*_

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"Kiku?"

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_***dead***_

"I think you broke him!" Michiru laughed. "Hey, how about you go ahead and give me one-"

_***glare***_

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…

…

**[****WINNER:**** Charice]**

**/=+=/**

**Michiru**** is the providence of Osaka, representing the Osaka Domain during the Feudal Era and the present day Osaka Prefecture. He has his own Wiki page and had appeared in the anime.**

**Takuya**** is the providence of Fukushima, representing the Aizu Domain.**

**The show is rather entertaining, but half the stuff I couldn't take seriously so I might do this again.**


	67. May 9th 1945

**/= http:/ www. youtube. com/ watch?v= i09HFMmbra0 =/**

_He had no idea how long he had been running down the path._

_The only thing Rizal knew was that his lungs were burning and that despite that his feet would not stop. After what felt like forever, he felt himself grind to a halt. He was being held back by someone, but he did not see his face. There were voices ringing through his ears, but he did not comprehend them. It was strange though: they were speaking perfect English. Didn't he speak English? Or was it Tagalog at this moment…?_

_He struggled. He fought. He screamed at them to let him go. But the forces held him back like he was a tank and Rizal the poor little bamboo stick in the way. Through his struggle he felt tears sweat down his face, and the blurs finally allowed him to see that Arthur was in front of him, talking to a man that was kneeling in front of him. There were scrapes and bruises all over the man, but that wasn't all. He knew the smell of blood from anywhere in the world._

_Who was this man…?_

_Arthur had turned to talk to Alfred, who had left a few seconds later with a huff. Rizal had no idea what was going on, noticing that only the body in front of him had collapsed to the ground…cold and lifeless. He felt his body freeze, and instantly his vision was clear…and able to see his body._

_It was Ludwig._

_He couldn't comprehend what happened afterward. All he knew was that someone was thrown forward and his feet began to race again towards him. Nothing else mattered at that point. He began to forget everything as his footsteps touched closer and closer to Ludwig's cold dead carcass. What was he representing again? Didn't he have a weapon on him? What was his sister's name? Did he even have a sister? Come to think of it, what was his name?_

_But it was strange._

_No matter how fast he ran…no matter how long he willed his legs to move…he kept moving farther and farther from him. There was perhaps just one time where he could just feel the cold skin graze his fingertips. But alas, Rizal could not catch up. The entire world around him sank into darkness, engulfing Ludwig as well. Rizal had to stop and rub his eyes. Were they tearing up…? But he never cried! He never felt pain before._

_He never felt this emotional pain._

_He always knew they were safe._

_He did not have to suffer._

_He was always by his side._

_He never felt this pain…_

…_as heart wrenching as this before._

"_**Starting today, you belong to me…da?"**_

**/=+=/**

He awoke with a start.

Rizal had to restrain himself from not darting up from the bed and smacking himself in the face. Instead, he glided upwards. He rubbed his cheeks and could barely feel the rough patches where hot tears have met their marks. He felt utterly confused. What was that dream about? Why did it happen to him, out of all people…?

_Why the hell did it still hurt…?_

He had no choice but to ignore it. He had to go back to sleep. He was about to when he heard his phone ringing from the nightstand. Rizal wanted to ignore it, but after a while he just couldn't. He grumbled a bit before taking his phone and taking the call. Curse that phone's inability to use its alarm when it's off…

"…this is Rizal."

"…"

"…hello? Is…is anyone there?"

"…"

"Is this some kind of prank?" He sighed. "You woke me up at god knows how early."

"…_**I'm sorry. I…I just didn't know how to properly greet you."**_

He froze.

"…Germany?"

"_**Did I wake you? If I did, I apologize. I just…"**_

"No…no it's fine. I…I couldn't sleep anyway." Rizal had no idea what he was calling him. He had Feliciano's number. "Are you okay? You sound out of it."

"…_**I just need someone outside the loop to talk to…someone who doesn't know…"**_

"Know…what?"

"…"

"Do you want me to meet up with you?"

"_**No…that's too much trouble. You are already trying to sleep…"**_

"Then…why don't you meet me? You were the one who booked me and my sister's hotel rooms, so you should know where I am."

"…_**is that all right?"**_

"That's fine…as long as you don't wake up my sister."

"_**She's in the room next to you."**_

"She can still hear you."

"…_**all right. I'll meet you there."**_

"All right. See you then."

Rizal let Ludwig hang up the phone first before the whole thing just sank in. Almost instantly, his face went bright red and the only thought in his mind was that he had to make himself look a bit proper. His fingers instantly ran to the sun pin at his side, and he quickly clipped it in his hair _(no way Ludwig would see him without it)_. Just as he finished adjusting it, a faint knock came to his door. He instantly tensed up as he approached the door, not helping to grab the yo-yo at his side. He looked through the peephole, sighed, and then silently opened the door.

"You could've just told me that you were outside."

"…sorry…" Ludwig answered, walking in. "I didn't want to disturb you at the chance that you actually wanted to sleep."

"That's fine. Really. Um…do you want something to drink, or…?"

"No, it's fine…I just needed…someone to talk to…right now."

Rizal stared at the confused German man as he sat down quietly on the couch without even looking back at him. His eyes turned to the rather interesting clock in the room and saw the time. It was 2:41 AM, May 7th. Without even thinking, he sat down next to the German and tried not to say anything. The silence was deafening, to say the least. Maybe it was because the dream was still so fresh in his mind…

"Um…what do you want to talk about?"

"…you were in the second war, right?"

"Hm? Oh, uh…yeah, yeah I was. Me and Charice. We were prisoners of Japan and fought him out with the help of America." Rizal turned his head. "It was because of what America did to him…"

"You mean Hiroshima?"

"And Nagasaki. Charice, despite the fact that we were enemies, was horrified to hear about something like that happening to the young man and his people." He sighed. "I remember gloating about it…and wanting to ask America if he had another bomb that I can use."

"You're talking about using it on Spain."

"I was angry. What was I supposed to do? I know that it was utterly useless in the end, but…I felt so powerful that I felt like taking revenge on everyone that hurt us." Rizal turned his head back to Ludwig. "But that's not what you wanted to talk about, is it?"

"No…no it isn't." He turned his head. "I wanted to tell someone…what happened to me during that time."

"You." Rizal looked surprised. "But…why me? What about Feliciano?"

"He's with his brother in China…and besides, I wanted to talk to someone that wasn't there when it happened to me."

"…Kiku?"

"He isn't here."

"Oh…" He had no idea why he was trying to justify Ludwig's coming to him for help. "Well then…talk to me. Does it…have something to do with the German surrender?"

"Yes." He shook his head. "Rizal…you've fought before in battle, right?"

"Yeah. Stabbed a couple times, shot at…they all hurt, but I always made it out of there."

"Alive?"

"Would I be here if it wasn't? Nations are immortal."

"They're not. They're only immortal when it comes to how people die: disease, stabbings, gunshots…the only thing that can kill us is war…"

"War."

"After World War Two, me and my people unconditionally surrendered to the Allied Forces. I wasn't surprised that they would try to disarm my armies until they virtually didn't exist, but…"

"…but…?"

"…they did something else…to both me and mein bruder."

"Separated Germany into two halves. I've heard the history."

Rizal had a strange feeling that this wasn't going to be a good time. His dream began to come back in strange shambles. Sure, he had a strange sense into the other realm…but not as much as England. So really, he couldn't have-

"Did they tell you how it affected me?"

"…your people, yes. You…no."

"…I literally died. In front of everyone."

The dream that he had came barreling down back into his mind, stopping him short. Ludwig did not notice this.

"Yes, the Allies made sure that my country would still stand after the separation…but they really overestimated me. They assumed that since I was a soldier, I would survive having so much put on me like this. I can live after the towering debt, the crushed hearts of my people, breaking into halves…they thought I would survive because I was young…they just didn't realize that I would die _**because**_ of that same reason…"

"…do you…do you remember how it happened…?"

"…it was November 9th. Arthur had gathered all the Allies together to declare that me and Gilbert would be separated, and I would be further divided among the European nations as well as America. He sent off Alfred shortly after, so I don't think he even knows what happened to me…" He shook his head. "No…no he didn't…he never knew."

"Alfred never knew how he killed you…even though his leader did?"

"Yeah. He even watched with the others. Didn't seem to like it, at least that's what I hope." He shook his head again. "All I really remember was the rain…and someone holding back mein bruder. He was fighting off someone's grip…"

His dream was completely accurate. Rizal had no idea what to think. Sure, he had a bit of a sixth sense…but why was it so developed? And even so, why in the world did the dream focus on Gilbert's point of view and not his brother? He felt so confused, but found himself wrapping into the dream…no…memory."

"Ivan."

"Hm?"

"Would it be Ivan that was holding him back?"

"…yes. Yes, it was him…how did you know?"

"U-um…lucky guess." He bluffed. "You said that Alfred had left the place surely after, Arthur was in front of you, I doubt that Yao was there, and even if Francis had the power to hold him back they were friends. He wouldn't do something like that to him despite the war."

"…right. And that didn't even correspond to my final memory…of the strongest man in the world…crying as though he were a child."

Rizal sure knew that.

"I remember coming to a few years later, in the American occupied land. I had forgotten everything, and assumed that I was a human…more importantly a veteran of the war. I lived under the rule of another man…I knew nothing, heard nothing, felt nothing…I was a human for those years…"

"…when did you start remembering who you were?"

"It was…it was after I saw Canada. He had grown some personal concern about me after the war and snuck out of his land to find me…I guess he always worries like that. He found me and tried to explain everything, but…I really couldn't understand what he was saying. After a while though, I began to believe him."

"No doubt. Matthew never lies."

"Yes. When I remembered, I came to the Berlin Wall just as they were about to tear it down…and I saw everyone. Feliciano, Lovino, Alfred…and I remembered everything. Feliciano…gott how much he cried when he held me…"

"I can imagine. After so many years of thinking that your best friend was dead…I would've acted the same way."

"To me?"

Rizal really had no idea how to answer that. Of course he would've acted the same way. Of course he would've sobbed in his chest and let all the tears out. Screw trying to keep an appearance, this was his best…friend…! For some reason, his heart skipped a beat when he thought that. He ended up nodding.

"Yes, of course. We're friends, right?"

"…yes. Friends." Ludwig smiled. "I'm glad I told you all this."

"What are friends for?" He turned to Ludwig. "You've grieved with everyone before…I guess telling someone who didn't know is good for the soul."

"Yes it is." He stood up. "Well then…I shouldn't bother you anymore-"

"It's really late. You shouldn't be walking out like this. Why don't you take the bed?" Rizal pointed at it. "I'll take the couch."

"No, really-"

"The couch folds out into a bed, Ludwig. I'll be fine either way. Besides, the bed's too soft for me."

"…thank you."

That smile on Ludwig's face made Rizal's chest pound all the faster. At least the extra blood in his body made him faster when it came to opening the bed, and the lack of blood to his brain made him pass out the moment he hit the covers. But still…that smile was totally worth it.

**/=+=/**

**May 7****th**** was the first instrument of Surrender of the German forces during World War Two in 1945. This was sighed in Rheims, France at 2:41 AM at a red brick schoolhouse that served as the Supreme HQ Allied Expeditionary Force. This was the beginning of the unconditional surrender which ended in Berlin and the separation of Germany into the East and West sections.**

**And if anyone's curious about Germany's times as a human, I might write a few chapters about it. Warning though: school's starting, so updates might be slow to nonexistent.**


	68. Third Spell's a Charm

**You know what? I've been having too much fun with the switched personalities of all the nations. And I really love basing it all off of the switched seiyuu events they have in Japan. But now I've heard that the last anime episode is going to air this month and the next seiyuu event is going to be…god knows when. So instead I decided to do some switching of my own! And it's not going to just be the G8. I'm adding ****EVERYTHING****…except the twins. For some reason, switching Charice with anyone sounds scary.**

**All I'm going to say here is that this time, you the reader get to guess who's what! I'm going to give you a rundown of who's going to be here, past the twins of course, and then the story will begin. Have fun reading~! By the way, the answers are on the bottom of the chapter if you're curious or give up.**

**Italy Veneziano **_**(Feliciano Vargas)**_

**Italy Romano **_**(Lovino Vargas)**_

**Germany **_**(Ludwig Katherzig)**_

**Japan **_**(Kiku Honda)**_

**America **_**(Alfred F. Jones)**_

**England **_**(Arthur Kirkland)**_

**France **_**(Francis Bonnefois)**_

**China **_**(Yao Wang)**_

**Russia **_**(Ivan Braginski)**_

**Spain **_**(Antonio Fernandez Carriedo)**_

**Canada **_**(Matthew Williams)**_

**Prussia **_**(Gilbert Beillschmidt)**_

**Austria **_**(Roderich Edelstein)**_

**Switzerland **_**(Vash Zwiligi)**_

**South Korea **_**(Yong Soo Im)**_

**Liechtenstein **_**(Erika Zwiligi)**_

**Oh, here's a hint: Erika and Yong Soo aren't going to be affected as well.**

**/=+=/**

"For some reason…I feel as if I need to bring this."

"What is that, ate?" He blinked. "W-what is that?"

"It's a weapon."

"Ate, that's a pillow."

"_**IT STILL WORKS!"**_

"…against what?"

"_You know…"_

"No, I don't- whatever. We have a meeting to go to and I'm planning on going with someone today."

"Oh? Other than me?"

"…yes, other than you. I need to broaden my horizons too, like you."

"Ahahaha…so, who is it? Your _**girlfriend?"**_

"No."

"Your _**boyfriend?"**_

"**NO."**

"…a hermaphrodite?"

"It's Erika."

"Ohhhh…Liechtenstein…" She laughed. "So your _**girlfriend!"**_

"We're just friends, Charice. Besides, if I tried anything her brother would have my head on a stick."

"The same thing you'd do if someone tried anything on me."

"Basically."

"I'm glad that we're in agreement." Charice laughed. "Where is she?"

"Just outside in the lobby. That's why I'm trying to rush right now."

"Relax, relax! Knowing her, she'll be patient in waiting for you!"

"_Once I mention that it's because I was waiting for you to wake up…"_

"Hah?"

"Nothing, nothing…"

**/=+=/**

The minute that Rizal and Charice finally left from their hotel room, they saw that Yong Soo had already seen _(and proceeded to grope)_ the poor little girl. It took a huge yo-yo to the face to get him off and grope Charice, which took another yo-yo to the face to get him off.

"…waaaah…that hurts, da ze…"

"Good." He spat. "At least you got off her."

"Hahaha…you two are funny." Erika laughed. "I haven't noticed this before."

"That's basically the reason why I'm not showing it off." Rizal stated. "I have Charice for that."

"_**Thanks for that…"**_

"You remind me of my brother." Erika giggled.

"How? I'm nothing like Vash." Rizal blinked.

"Yes you are." Charice laughed. "The only thing different about you is that you use yo-yos and don't have a cheese fetish!"

"W-what?"

"You have a _**German**_ fetish, da ze!"

That hit home.

"E-eh?"

"N-n-n-not you, Erika- **I MEAN**…uh…" Rizal rubbed the back of his head. "Um…I just…have a preference for those of a German culture- _**but not you!**_ Um…you're just a friend, OK?"

"Oh, OK." Erika laughed. "Speaking of which, you do remind me of Germany a lot."

"Um…why?"

"Your face is just as red as his when he's embarrassed, da ze!"

_***POW!***_

"OK, this is getting boring." Charice clapped. "Who's up for destroying a meeting from the inside out?"

**/=+=/**

Odd enough, the four of them seemed to have a rather normal conversation on the way there without Yong Soo groping anyone. Heck, they could be their own little troupe of friends if they wanted to _(it was a strange fad going around with the nations these days…I mean, the Axis Powers, the Bad Touch Trio…come on)._

"So Vash sent you or something?" Charice leaned forward.

"No. I went on my own. He trusts me enough to make my own decision…but he's still protective of me…"

"Heeey, kinda like _**my**_ brother!"

"Oh shut up, Charice." Rizal shook his head. "Look, we're at the building already."

"Sweet! I heard that Aniki made the food, da ze!" Yong Soo laughed. "I'm so hungry right now that I'm willing to eat anything right now!"

"Then wait until you go inside." Rizal stated. "It's not that far away-"

It was around that time that a bright light erupted from the building, shooting around them in a blast before stopping just a few feet from their faces. They stood there in shock for a few minutes before the light faded and revealed that everything was left intact. Rizal just sighed.

"Arthur did something again."

"Awwww maaaan…" Charice shook her head. "We _**really**_ need to work on that magic book he always wears…"

"D-does that mean that everyone is…?"

"Oh right. Erika never saw this before." Charice waved her hand. "Arthur's a spellcaster…with no reason to cast spells except to entertain our normal immortal lives."

"…will everyone be all right in there?"

"If we go in there, we'll try to keep the craziness to a minimum…" Rizal sighed. "So where do you guys want to go?"

"I say we split up, da ze." Yong Soo stated. "We'll cover more ground that way."

"This isn't too dangerous, so I guess that's fine…" Rizal looked up. "Groups of two?"

"I'm with Charice da ze!"

"I'm with Yong Soo tsu po!"

"…you're not Izzy anymore."

"_Shut up."_

"Fine. I guess I'm with Erika then." He turned to her. "Are you OK with that?"

"Yeah, I am." She answered. "We should…start looking for people then."

**/=+=/**

"The place is too quiet…"

"Too quiet, da ze…"

Charice turned her head around and started looking through the hallways on the off chance that there was a glimmer of someone walking down the area. She had a strange conclusion on what Arthur accidentally did, but then again he wasn't **THAT** dumb to do that again, right?"

"You worried, da ze?"

"Of _**course **_I'm-" She blinked. "Yong Soo."

"Yeah?"

"Why do you have a _**camera**__**?"**_

"In case I want to see this again!" He winked. "You like it? Made it myself!"

"…it's interesting." She said. "On the off chance they all turned into ghosts, we'll be able to see them."

"You mean as white noise, da ze?"

"…sure…"

"Are you **scared**?"

"Fuck yes."

Yong Soo only shook his head and laughed at the fear clearly plastered on her face. After a few minutes they heard loud laughter echoing from the other side of the hallway. They stared as they saw Arthur laughing obnoxiously as Lovino was supposedly arguing with him.

"Look, you were the one that started the spell you douche." Lovino spat.

"But I was the one that stopped it right?" Arthur stated, eating a hamburger out of all things. "Because I'm the hero! I always stop whatever is harming our society!"

"With _**magic?**_ Really, I expected better from you…" He folded his arms. Apparently he had an English accent now.

"Sometimes, you have to do what you have to do." He stated, slurping his coke. "Heroes have to consider that as well."

"You are such an idiot."

The two of them continued to argue as they completely missed the fact that Yong Soo was watching them with a camera in his hand, almost as if they were too oblivious to notice anything. After a few minutes, Yong Soo started laughing and turned his camera to Charice.

"What do you think of that, da ze?"

"…that was…oddly tame." Charice blinked. She grinned toward the camera. "I wanna see the rest of them!"

**/=+=/**

"So…you're the younger sibling, right?"

"Eh? Yeah, I am…I'm just a providence though…" Erika answered. "Vash has been so nice to me…"

"Yeah. All siblings are like that." Rizal laughed. "At least you weren't born _**insane**_ or with a dramatically unforgiving flaw…"

"Huh?"

"…I was talking about my sister."

"Oh."

It was around that time that they turned a corner and saw Yao playing with a sanxian and singing about the beauty and art that was growing rice with a laugh that made the nearby Alfred mad about something. He kept yelling at him for no reason and was waving a hotdog around. A few choice words were being uses, so Rizal quietly let her away.

"W-what was going on back there?" She looked up.

"_**You don't want to know…"**_ He sighed. "Now let's hurry up and find your brother before he shoots up the place."

It was around that time that he heard screaming coming from the other side of the hallway. He looked up, surprised that her brother found them so easily. But when he saw the pistol aimed at his face, he was shocked to learn that it was actually Francis.

"What are you doing with my sister?" He spat.

"Nothing." He answered innocently. "We're just late for the meeting, that's all."

"W-what are you talking about?" Erika turned to Francis. "I-I don't know what's going on, but I'm looking for Vash Zwiligi. Switzerland. Do you know where he is?"

"Vash? Why?" Francis leaned back. "He's such an ass! Why are you looking for him?"

"Eh? But he's my brother…"

"Erika, did that light mess you up too?" Francis leaned toward her. _**"I'm**_ your brother, Francis! Remember?"

"U-uh…"

"**WHOA. Back up there."** Rizal pushed them away. "She has a two foot radius shell around her, so that means you don't step toward it."

"But Rizal…my sister…"

_Is this…a European thing?_ Rizal blinked.

"Dude, you got rejected! That's totally unawesome!"

"_**SHUT UP,**_ Vash."

…_this is a European thing…_

**/=+=/**

After seeing Ivan reading a rather interesting doujinshi, Yong Soo was openly chirping about how lucky he was to have a camera around. Charice had to admit that too for a while _(especially when she saw Antonio sewing up a hole in his clothes, insisting that it was fine)_, until she saw the singing Wang Yao and the rather brash Alfred with a hotdog. She turned her head back around and headed back the way she came.

"I'm guessing that there was a lunch break." Charice stated. "No one's in the meeting hall."

"Still, finding them makes this even more fun, da ze~!" Yong Soo turned his head around. "Aniki's going to enjoy what I found!"

"Found…what?"

"You know Gilbert, right? While you were wondering where we were, I found him cuddling a Hello Kitty doll and chirping about how cute they were! And the best part was that he was saying the word _"aru"_ so many times!"

"…that's…strange."

"Ah…you finally come to join us, Charice. I'm glad."

She turned her head around and saw Roderich walking toward them, smiling in a way that she had to admit looked really cute. The way he had that shining smile and the strange German sparkle party that he had going around him. Heck, he actually looked…interesting. Not cheap. _**Hot.**_

"Oh…thanks." Charice tilted her head. "But really, you don't have to thank me."

"No really…I must thank you…you are the shining beacon in this realm of darkness, after all."

"W-whaaaaat?"

Before she knew it, Roderich had scooped her up off her feet and was now two inches away from her face. The whimper in her voice made Yong Soo lean close to her with the camera in interest as Roderich began to whisper sweet nothings in her ear…that was supposed to be sweet.

"Come on, Roderich. It's time for you to at least let everyone else talk to her."

She turned her head and saw that Ludwig was standing behind them, a smile on his face and his hands behind his back. He looked pretty formal, making Roderich back up and sigh in regret as Charice turned to the German with a chuckle and a sweatdrop.

"Thanks for that, Doitsu-ki~" She laughed. "He was starting to freak me out a little."

"It sounded like that." Ludwig laughed as well. "Well, we shouldn't have that, should we?"

"Hah?"

"Perhaps this will all be over once you become one with me…ja?"

And that's when they saw the dark aura coming out of his body and chuckle…which was now starting to get creepy.

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"_**NAZIIIIIIIS!**__**"**_

**/=+=/**

"Ah~! Rizal~!"

He and Erika looked up and saw Kiku skip toward them with a smile on his face, his backpack filled to the brim with pasta boxes. What caught their attention was that there was a strange curl coming out from the side of his head. That made Rizal sigh.

"Hey there…Kiku. Having fun with your pasta there?"

"Of course I am~!" Kiku swayed back and forth. Dear God, he has an Italian accent. "I'm planning on making pasta with Matthew soon~!"

"Matthew?" Erika looked up. "Who's he?"

"There you are."

They looked up and saw Matthew walking toward them, with a straightened collar and a fixed hairstyle that left a rather empty forehead. The only thing that threw him off was that he still had that curl on his head…so it looked rather stupid, nonetheless.

"I was worried about you. You do realize that everyone's gone crazy after that light." Matthew said, with a German accent. No, not lying here.

"Ve~~~it's all right, Matthew! Rizal and Erika are here to protect me, right?"

"Um…" Erika blinked. "Just…just Rizal."

"…yeah…just me…" He looked up. "Have you seen my sister anywhere?"

"Huh? Oh, not really." Matthew looked up. "We should go look for her."

"Ve~~~I'm worried for her now…"

"…I hope that ate is all right…"

**/=+=/**

"A-are you all right, da ze?"

"_Naziiiiis…"_

"L-look…you ran the entire building length to get away from him, so you don't have to worry about him anymore-"

"_**Naziiiiiiiiis…"**_

"…you want me to stay here, da ze?"

"…noooo…" She stood up. "We…we have to go."

"Why?"

"…_**Nazis are everywhere…"**_

Yong Soo blinked for a few minutes before standing up with her and heading with her down the hallway. But barely had they walked two steps before Charice bumped into absolutely nothing…or air, one of these choices. They looked up and saw no one…yeah, no one.

"Um…w-who did you bump into?" Yong Soo looked up.

"Uuuuuuhhh…g-g-ghosts…?"

"P-please not…"

"_N-n-no…no, I'm not a ghost, Charice…please don't be scared."_

After a few seconds of noticing something, they realized that someone was materializing from the middle of nowhere. She looked up and saw none other than Feliciano, lightly holding onto her sleeves as if he was being a two year old child and did not want to be alone. He had puppy dog eyes and whimpered cutely, shivering out of shyness and was mumbling soft Italian to himself.

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_***cue a scream so loud that it breaks the sound barrier***_

_***and a few ear drums***_

**/= [SMALL LITTLE EPILOGUE] =/**

After the four of them decided that they were just going to give up trying to figure this out, the meeting went underway. Feliciano wasn't being noticed this entire time and hence he decided to leave early and walk down the hallway just for the sake of hearing silence.

"Hah…you had to just walk out of the meeting like that, ja?"

"_E-eh?"_ Feliciano turned around. _"O-oh…Ludwig…um…s-shouldn't you be at the meeting?"_

"Are you shaking?"

"_N-no…"_

Five seconds later, Ludwig's arms are wrapped around the shaking Italian's body. He chirped in shock before realizing that nothing was happening, and instead looked at the smile on the German's face.

"You know…you don't have to be alone like this…" He grinned. "If you become one with me, I'll make sure that you're never alone again."

"_L-Ludwig…"_ Feliciano snuggled into his shoulder. _"Y-you remember me…?"_

"I'll always remember you…I'll remember everything…"

"_T-thank you…"_

And then the spell broke.

And everyone turned back to normal.

And Yong Soo had all that on tape.

**/=+=/**

**Ahahahaha! I hope you had fun reading whatever the hell came out of my head this time, and I'll see you again!**

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**Oh, you want the answers?**

**Oh, OK.**

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_**(This is just to prevent cheating, that's all.)**_

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**ANSWERS**

**Italy Veneziano **_**(Feliciano Vargas)**_** – Canada **

**Italy Romano **_**(Lovino Vargas)**_** – England**

**Germany **_**(Ludwig Katherzig)**_** – Russia **

**Japan **_**(Kiku Honda)**_** – Italy Veneziano **

**America **_**(Alfred F. Jones)**_** – Italy Romano**

**England **_**(Arthur Kirkland)**_** – America **

**France **_**(Francis Bonnefois)**_** – Switzerland **

**China **_**(Yao Wang)**_** – Spain **

**Russia **_**(Ivan Braginski)**_** – Japan **

**Spain **_**(Antonio Fernandez Carriedo)**_** – Austria **

**Canada **_**(Matthew Williams)**_** – Germany **

**Prussia **_**(Gilbert Beillschmidt)**_** – China **

**Austria **_**(Roderich Edelstein)**_** – France **

**Switzerland **_**(Vash Zwiligi)**_** – Prussia **

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_**(Don't think I know you're going to scroll all the way to the bottom too.)**_


	69. Why Germans are Scary

"It's Friday, Friday-"

"**No. **_**NO.**___**It's MONDAY."**

**/=+=/**

He had no idea why in the world he was forced to take care of Gilbert even if his brother asked him to do it. But he's doing it anyway.

So there he was, minding his own business while Gilbert was sharing with Charice their respective doujinshi. Personally, he didn't want to even get himself involved with crap like that. But now that he was here, he was basically forced to. And when they started talking about notes for their conjoined GerIta fic…he wished his iPod was working.

"Wow…I didn't think of it that way, Gilbert."

"Hey, it's mein bruder. He's big in everything, if you know what I mean ;D"

_God, where's the volume on this TV? And why are they all in German?_

"Wait, which one are you doing?"

"I'm doing the awesome writing."

"Uh, **no** you're not. I'm the better writer. You're the better artist here."

"But I'm the _**awesomest**_ writer here."

"Do you really want this to look like crap?"

"Well, we could always ask your brother there if he wants to participate-"

"**NO."**

"Well, he said it." Charice looked up. "Why are you looking at your watch?"

"I'm waiting for something."

"Hm?"

Rizal looked up and saw Gilbert as he stared patiently at his watch for something to happen. Before he knew it, there were was a sound of a clock hitting an hour and Gilbert suddenly jumped up on his couch with a grin.

"_**Seven am waking up in the morning gotta be fresh gotta go downstairs"**_

"Oh shit." Rizal stood up.

Gilbert literally spun out of the building and started down the stairs, forcing Charice and Rizal to follow him. They literally heard him sing whatever song he was singing and quite frankly they wanted to claw their ears out.

"_**Tickin on and on everyone's rushing-"**_

"They are, da?"

"_**HOLY SHIT WHERE DID IVAN COME FROM?"**_

Gilbert didn't seem to notice that Ivan was following them as he finally threw the door open…and what did you know, there was a random bus stop in front of them. He leaned forward in a viewing pose.

"_**Gotta catch my bus. I see my friends~!"**_

About a millisecond later, a huge Ferrari came screaming out of nowhere and parked right in front of them. Feliciano was driving and smiling at him as Alfred was waving at him from the passenger's seat. Behind them were Antonio and Francis waving at him to join. Rizal stared at them.

"_**Gotta make my mind up, which seat can I take?"**_

Before anyone moved, Ivan quickly hopped into the back seat between Antonio and Francis. But not to worry, because Gilbert literally jumped onto the back of the car and started dancing on the trunk. Rizal turned his head and saw that Charice was missing from her position.

"Hey, Rizal!"

"Eh?"

"Why sit at the back of the car when _**you can ride on the damn roof?"**_

And before he knew it, the car drove off with Charice still in it. He shook his head for a few minutes before feeling a presence behind him. Still, it felt familiar, so he had no reason to panic.

"Bruder went with his friends, huh?"

"Yeah, he di-" Rizal turned around. "Uh…why are you wearing leather and spikes?"

"…long story."

"…don't want me to know?"

"Not yet."

"Ah."

**/=+=/**

**And now I will rant for a few minutes.**

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**WHY DID I NOT KNOW THAT KONISHI KATSUYUKI ALSO DID KOMUI LEE FROM D. GRAY MAN?**

**WHY IN THE WORLD WAS I RESEARCHING ON HOW GERMANS LOVE GOTHIC ROCK?**

**HOW IN THE WORLD AM I ADDICTED TO EPIC RAP BATTLES OF HISTORY?**

**AND WHY IN THE WORLD DO I THINK THAT PRUCHA IS A GOOD PAIRING?**

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**OK, I'm done.**


	70. Drunk Tongues Speak Truths

**Because I saw the Gakuen Hetalia event…and I just ****had**** to do it. God, help me.**

**/=+=/**

Today was the anniversary of the creation of the UN. The humans don't really celebrate it, but this year they did allow the nations to get in a day with each other. Everyone had no work to do, so they were able to get into New York the day before just to get themselves ready for the party. Apparently this was going to be a formal event…something that the Philippines seem to have a hard time doing.

"Eh? A suit?"

"It's only going to be one day, get off it! And don't think you're going with that suit you wear for the meetings! _**God**_ knows what kind of bacteria is on it!" Charice headed to the closet. "I already found a place for you to rent one, so you should go over there before anyone else does. The place is cheap!"

"All right…what are you going to do? Are you dress shopping?"

"Hah? Yeah, I guess so…unless I find something in here that works." She dug through the closet. "I gave you the wallet, so you can go buy it now."

"What do you want me to get?"

"Anything that's good for you. You're not a pervert like the others, so I know you're not going to do anything that stupid."

"…all right. Keep your phone on you."

"I hear ya."

The door closed behind him, leaving Charice alone. She dug through the closet for a few minutes before finding out that she had…absolutely nothing. Yeah, nothing at all. For some reason, the only dress she did have was the one on her right now. Why can't she just wear a suit like her brother? That way, all the guys don't go ahead and start hitting on her…

On second thought, yes on the dress.

She turned toward the door and opened it, just seeing Irunya and Lin Yi outside it. They looked dressed up and seemed to have been on the verge of knocking on the door. Charice couldn't help but adjust the shirt that she had on for the sake of Irunya's boobs…

"Hey, Charice! We're going dress hunting! You wanna come with?"

"Oh, sure! Let me get ready."

**/=+=/**

They went to at least five different dress stores to find something for Irunya's chest. Lin Yi found about fifteen different dresses for her, and couldn't seem to decide on one of them. Charice, on the other hand, couldn't find a dress that works with her. Maybe it was because she was content with the skirt and leggings she had. Her outfit never really seems to change past that and a T-shirt.

"What do you think, you guys? Does this work?"

Charice looked up and saw that Lin Yi had found a beautiful Chinese dress with flower designs that seemed to stretch to the moon and back. It looked really nice on her, to say the least. Not like it was going to fit her at all. She ate too much food last time and now she's a little chubby for that size…unless she does a 24-hour fast. That is just stupid.

"Fits you quite well~" Charice winked.

"It works great on you, Lin Yi!" Irunya said, her boobs agreeing with her. "Is that stall open? I'm going to try this dress on!"

"You need help with the zipper?"

"Yes, thank you!"

The two girls went to the stall to help with the dresses as Charice finally went for a true look at all the attire they had. Some of the dresses looked like something out of a prom, and the blue dresses made her beeline out of there. None of them seem to stick out to her. All the other dresses she's seen the girls wear really made them the belles of their ball.

That's when she saw it.

The dress in itself didn't look that impressive. It was a one-piece red dress with a silk scarf and one large strap. The bottom was free-flowing and smooth, and upon further examination was extremely comfortable inside _(was that COTTON?)_. Without thinking she picked it up from the rack and held it up to the mirror. She would look a little cool with this…if only her hair were longer. But after the colonial days, she vowed never to have that.

"That looks really good, Charice."

"Eh? Oh, Irunya…wow, that dress looks really great on you!"

"I know, right? It even fits around here!" She pointed at the breasts, making her sigh. "You want to try that on?"

"Um…" _Huh, it's just my size._ "Yeah, I guess."

"All right, I'll help you in it."

Charice was led into one of the dressing rooms where she proceeded to try getting into the dress. She slipped right into it like there was nothing wrong with it, and after a few seconds realized that no one was moving. She turned around and saw Irunya's face.

"Wow…" She smiled. "This looks beautiful on you!"

"Hah? Really?" She looked down. "I want to see this!"

She was led out the door and escorted toward the mirror, where a rather ecstatic Lin Yi was. A few seconds later, Charice saw herself in the dress. It looked strange on her…because it actually made her look beautiful. The creation of it actually accented the small curves she had, and her boobs actually looked like they existed. That is a feat no clothing can do. Until now.

"…wow…" Charice turned around.

"You look so pretty, Charice!" Lin Yi clapped. "You're going to be the belle of the ball tomorrow!"

"…if I can afford the damn thing. Where's the price tag…?"

"…oh." Irunya blinked. "$600."

"_**ARE YOU **__**FUCKING KIDDING ME?**__**"**_ Charice held her head. "Maaaan…this is why I hate dress shopping!"

"Do you have $600?"

"I gave kuya my wallet…and even then I have at least…" She looked in her pocket. _**"OH COME ON!"**_

"How much?"

"…not even a penny…what the hell is this…"

"Oh…"

"Maaan…forget it. I'm not buying this."

"Charice-"

"I'm not asking for money. Last time that happened, I became Alfred's colony, and I am _**not**_ letting that happen again." She sighed. "Besides…I only brought enough money for Rizal to rent his tux…"

"Are you going to be OK, though? It looks really pretty on you."

"Yeah, it's fine. Knowing how simple this is, it's probably going to be on the shelves when I come back right?"

The three girls looked at each other and knew how disappointed Charice was, but there was no use arguing. They turned around and got changed into their normal gear, all while hearing Charice mumble something to herself that no one translated. She sounded a little sad, so no one said anything about it.

**/=+=/**

_Oh well…at least I have that back-up dress I always bring with me…it's not even formal though…_

Charice mumbled something to herself for a few minutes as she waited quietly in the elevator and headed to her suite room. She really liked that dress too, and it's not like she ever wanted anything past food and a huggle fest with an Italian once in a while. Maybe they counted…

Truth was, no one had ever called her beautiful before.

Well, not the ones that immediately declared that they wanted to take her over almost right afterward.

With that dress, she could've at least squeezed something out of Feliciano. Heck, she wondered if Francis saw her as something like that…but any closer and she'd gouge his eyes out. Hm, maybe not Francis. But then again, who would call her pretty? Maybe this is God's way of protecting her…

"Hey, ate. Can I ask you something?"

"Hah?" She looked up. "Rizal?"

"Did you order something?"

"No. Why?"

"Well, this package was in front of the door and was marked for you. So I assumed it was for you." He lifted it to her. "There's no ticking noise and I don't think it's a bomb."

"Great. Thanks."

Charice took the package as she headed into the room, feeling the weight on her fingertips. As she went to the bed, she unwrapped the ribbon and opened the box…almost dropping it. Rizal stared at her for a few minutes as she lifted up a red dress folded neatly and smoothly, leaving no wrinkles.

"Is that your dress?"

"…yep. Yes it is." She shook her head. "For the party, of course."

"All right. But a dress is only as good as the person wearing it…so you better get some sleep before you start getting bags."

"Right, right…"

**/=+=/**

If there was anything Charice knew about boys, it's that they have no idea why it takes so long for a girl to dress up. Quite frankly, Charice just figured that out the minute she realized that she had make-up and nail polish she had to put on. Her hair _(as short as it is)_ isn't going to do anything no matter how bad it's styled, so she opted for the make-up instead.

"Are you OK in there?"

"I'm almost done!" She called back. "I'm just figuring out how to do this!"

"What?"

"The…eye curl…thingy!"

"The eyelash curl?"

"Yeah, that! I keep poking my eyelid!"

"You do realize that you have to use a gentle hand for that? Did you even put on your eyeliner?"

"Yeah, I did already!"

After a few minutes, she decided that she didn't look like a complete mess and headed out of the room to a content younger brother. They both headed down the stairs and toward the UN room, where she saw all of the countries gathering together in their gowns. They looked a lot prettier than she did.

"God, look at all of them." Rizal rubbed his temple. "I can't believe that people like this kind of thing…"

"It's a formal event. I'm not surprised." Charice rubbed the back of her head. "But we've been to plenty of parties before-"

"None of them have been formal, remember? And the last one you've been to had you being Antonio's manservant."

"Oh…right." She almost forgot about that.

It was then that she heard fumbling at the microphone. She turned up and saw that Ivan was there, and apparently he had an opening speech…or at least he was supposed to. There was an argument for a few minutes before he revealed that he was too busy planning for the moment to actually make the speech. Charice had to facepalm at that.

"I'll be right back, da?"

"…fine." Ludwig sighed.

Rizal shook his head and went up to see if he could help, leaving Charice alone. Yeah, she had been around many of these nations before. But none of them had ever seen her with make-up and nail polish before. And she's pretty sure that they're going to question why she has two long silk gloves that don't seem to match up with the dress at all. Not like anyone was curious.

_Hm…maybe people don't know me because of all this make-up…_

She headed over to the counter just as Ivan finished serving up all of the drinks. Charice was about to take a drink when a familiar smell stopped her short. She blinked for a few minutes before turning up and seeing a rather happy Feliciano walk to her.

"Heeeey…you look cute~!" He chirped. "You want to dance with me?"

"Wha-? Are you _**drunk?"**_

"Ve~~~? W-what's thaaaat-"

"_**ITALIA! GET OVER HERE!"**_ She heard Ludwig scream. "I'm lonely without you!"

"All right, all riiiiight~" He turned to Charice. "Can't keep my love waitiiinnggg…"

"Sure…whatever."

She waved at them as she saw the entire building go to hell. Everyone was getting so drunk off their rockers that half of them forgot their own names. Charice felt horrible, turning to sit on a chair and folding her arms. If she knew that the party was going to be nothing more than a drinking fest, she wouldn't have bothered with her appearance at all. She wondered who would notice her leaving. Rizal obviously looked drunk _(with the fact that he was going back into his…stripper(?) phase)_.

"This is horrible…" Charice stood up. "Is this really what all formal parties are about? I was expecting something more…majestic than this…"

The minute Alfred forced Ivan into a chug-fest, she definitely opted out of there. She lifted her dress and headed toward the door, deciding that she was probably going to explore the town or something. Halfway through her trek, she realized that she had bumped into a _**ridiculously**_ drunk Antonio being cheered on by his friends.

"Oh…this is a new person…" Antonio leaned in. _"And you areee…?"_

"Just about to leave." Charice pushed him off. "Wrong party."

"Awww…that's too baaaad." Antonio flipped an arm over her shoulder. "Perhaps…I escort~?"

_My god, he's slurring his words._ "I know where the door is."

"Please…I…in…_**sist."**_

The entire room was going apeshit, so she might as well save one nation. Besides, she'll probably leave him sleeping in the lobby or something. Anything to get him away from the influence that is Francis and Gilbert…and the world, at this point. She dragged him out of the room just as she heard something that resembled a fight.

_Great…I'm lugging a drunkard out of his own bar brawl._ She sighed. _What a way to waste someone's six hundred bucks…_

"…_are they gone?"_

"Hm?" She looked at Antonio. "Uh…yeah, everyone's in the hall…about to kill each other."

"Ahahahaha~! That's great! At least I can watch over you properly this time!"

"…hah?"

She felt him wiggle out of her grasp and wobble into a standing position, smiling and posing as if he was totally alright and that he didn't just down what could've been Soviet influenced liquids. Charice pointed at him for a few long seconds as it all sank in.

"…you're…sober?"

"Ah…no, not really. I just have a high tolerance!" He winked. "I only drank _**half**_ of what they gave me! Drunk people are easy to fool!"

"…I figured that much…" Charice sighed. "So what the heck do you mean by watching over me properly?"

"It just means that I can talk to you without having Rizal interfering. I know that he cares about you…but he doesn't know that I'm no longer a threat to you…"

"Oh…I guess so." She rubbed her chin. "Old habits die hard, I guess."

"That's understandable…many people here haven't let go of the past."

"We're immortal. That might be part of the reason why."

"…but you have, right?"

"Hah?"

"You let go of the past, right? That's why you're standing here in front of me, unafraid?"

It was then that Charice got a good look at the Spaniard. The moonlight was hitting his face, accenting his tan skin and making his eyes sparkle in a rather godly-like way. He was wearing a tan tailcoat and a red ribbon, making him look like he actually was some serious person instead of…well, Antonio. It didn't help that he had a sad smile on his face. That's what she hated about being a nation: having sad smiles on their faces fit all of them. It pained her just to think about it.

"Because I was raised by different means."

"Hm?"

"I think only a few nations had this before, but…I was never raised by a nation. You abused me and made me your slave, and as such I turned to the humans for support." She looked up. "Through them I learned human morals. How they resolve a conflict, how they forgive and forget in due time, all of that. And the weird part is that it actually works for them. So why not me?"

"If that's true, then Rizal must live through the same principles."

"No. I raised him. Technically, I taught him the same way they taught me…but it ended up not being the same way. He ended up just being another nation, and it hurts me every time he tells me how much he hates you."

"It can't be helped. Arthur and Francis have that rivalry that won't die. Heracles and Sadiq…all the nations that hate me in some way…"

"Time is going to wash away all the wounds, you know."

"I know…it's just that time doesn't affect us. So what am I going to do, you know?"

"…for all I can say, go back to Lovi-chan."

"Hm?"

"He still cares for you, right. Heck, he'll defend you from the world!"

"…that troubles me. What if my precious Roma gets injured because of something I did…?"

And that was the first time she had ever seen Antonio Fernandez Carriedo cry openly in front of her.

She wished from the bottom of all existence that it was because of the alcohol in his veins, for about five seconds later he was sobbing like a little child at the thought of losing the one man he gave his entire life for…even going so far as to use others, to throw away his very existence…

Her motherly nerves kicked in. She stepped forward and held his shoulders _(hard for he was taller than her)_, massaging them until he finally realized that she was still there. He lowered his hand and saw Charice shake her head and move her hands to his neck.

"I don't think he'd regret it…in fact, I think he'd complain to you about the fact that you're complaining about it."

"…Charice?"

"It's in the blood of all of us…humans, nations, animals…we want to protect those that we trust with our lives. We don't care about the consequences, even if it means death. We just want our loved ones to be happy." She laughed. "I know I'd do it for Rizal. He wouldn't be happy about it, but he knows that. I also know that Rizal would do it for me. I wouldn't be happy about it…but I know that too."

Antonio was silent.

"It's the same for you and Lovino. You both would give your lives to save the other one, even though they wouldn't actually _**like**_ it if you do that…but they know it's there." She lowered her hands. "That's love. That's what true love is about. It's about finding something to die for."

"…thank you."

"Hm?"

"I…I think I understand now. I can be a better boss to Roma now…" He wiped his eyes. "To think, I would learn something from my former colony-"

He paused, seeing the gloves on Charice's hand. Quietly, he stepped forward and rubbed the left arm, feeling the scar that was still there. He felt the body tense with the arm and he sighed, lowering his gaze and holding the scar firmly in his hand.

"And…you still forgive me…?"

"Yes…the arm is fully functional, so there's nothing to be mad about."

"…thank you…" He reached out and held her face. "To think, just a few centuries ago you were this young girl who shivered at every breath I took…and now here you are. This beautiful young woman whose ideals barely grasp those around her…"

Charice blushed and turned away. She was expecting someone to call her beautiful, but she was expecting to punch him away after that _(guess who she was thinking about?)_. She never thought it would come from Spain…not like this, not this simple…so weird.

And then someone started screaming.

"…oh."

"Ahahahaha~!" Antonio was wiping a tear off his face. "Oh man, I almost forgot about the party!"

"Yeah…I think we should take away the vodka now…" She turned to him. "Do you have any access to water around here?"

"I know the nearest water cooler."

"Great. Get me there."

And they did so, bringing up huge tanks of water toward the party room. Once they saw that somehow the party ended up being a strip joint and Feliciano switching clothing with Anri…yeah, the water had to be brought out. No one could remember what happened next, and Charice was grateful for that.


	71. German Phobia

**This may be rated T+ to at least M, so viewer discretion is advised. This'll take place around late 20****th**** Century, early 21****st****…1999, 2000?**

**/=+=/**

"Please, I'm right and I know it!"

"You're not right! I'm right! And you know _**damn**_ well that I'm right too!"

Ludwig had no idea what the hell was going on. First of all, the meeting was actually going really well. People weren't arguing about much and even then they were going to set aside their differences just for this one meeting _(maybe the bosses were grilling them or something)_. Suddenly…this happened.

"I was a better parent to Charice, and you know it!"

"I taught Charice everything she knows, America! I'm a better parent!"

"Yeah, an _**abusive**_ one at that!"

"It's called Hard Parenting!"

"Sure. I'm surprised Rizal hasn't come to thank you about it!"

"_Ve…L-Ludwig…how did America and Spain start arguing about parenting?"_

"_I…don't have a clue."_ The German could only hold his head. _"And from the looks of it, this is only going to get wo-"_

"We all know I was the better parent! I was the one who raised them for three centuries!"

"You _needed_ three centuries! I was preparing them for independence, something **your** men wouldn't allow them to do!"

"They weren't ready for independence! They would've been crushed by all the other nations!"

"Yeah, I did the _**exact**_ same thing and look how well they're doing!" Alfred lifted up a hamburger and winked. "You've doubted them the entire time!"

"They were too young when you took them. You would've understood…"

"I did at first. After a few years I knew they had the potential and worked on it. You probably would've seen it too if you bothered looking! _**Bad parenting!"**_

"Please, I've done more to them then what you did, damn American!"

The world stopped. Antonio said _'damn'._ Alfred was so dead.

"Really? What did you do to make Charice and Rizal better people next to abusing them for everything they've got?"

"I gave them Christianity."

"_**I**_ gave them independence."

"I taught them European standards!"

"I _**introduced**_ them to said European countries!"

"Well, I gave them the food that's now a part of their culture!"

"So did I! Hamburgers _**all around!**__**"**_

"I housed them for three hundred years, fed them, clothed them, and made them stay there for their own well-being!"

"_**Please!**_ I saved Charice from being raped by _**German soldiers!**__**"**_

The room stopped again, and this time Alfred actually took notice of this. Apparently, despite the fact that everyone knew that Charice had a bit of a German phobia, no one really knew the reason why. Ludwig slammed the table as he rose to his feet, and from the corner of the room he heard Lovino scoff and mutter how he _"was right the entire time…"_

"_**WHAT."**_

"Oh…wait. _Crap, no one was supposed to know!_ I-I mean mentally raped! Yeah, that's what I meant! _**Mentally raped!**__**"**_ Alfred chuckled. "Those Germans were so weird back then!"

"Alfred…tell us the truth." Antonio leaned forward. _**"Tell us. What. Happened."**_

"_**OK, OK!**_ God! Just…don't kill me!" Alfred backed up. "I like to live, thank you very much!"

"Please." Ludwig's eyes soften. "Tell me."

"Eh? Why are you curious?"

"I need to know what my people did."

"…all right."

**/=+=/**

_It had been a while since he had won this land over from the Spanish. He skipped around with glee at just how beautiful the place was. He hadn't seen anything this beautiful since Hawaii, and that was his as well! God, it was great being a nation. Alfred had to stretch his arms out to confirm that._

_Not only were these lands beautiful, but the nation itself wasn't that bad. Sure the boy had some issues _(he figured it was a colony thing. He had that phase)_, but the girl wasn't that bad. She greeted him with a smile and seemed to know where respect was due, nothing like the other guy. What was his name, Luzon…?_

_He was thinking about it for a while. Luzon was around driving out the last of the Spanish soldiers, last time he checked. Alfred couldn't really understand his hatred. Sure, he figured it was from colony roots, Alfred had the same issue. But still, after a few years he couldn't find himself hating Arthur as much as he did during the war. Alfred and Arthur were two nations; one happened to be liberated from the other. Even though Alfred fought with blood and guns, he still considered Arthur to be an ally to the cause. Luzon was different. He didn't just hate Spain, he __**loathed**__ him. There was not enough hatred in one word to describe what he had…it scared him a little._

_Faint screaming caught his attention, and he found himself walking forward. Alfred kept low and ran through the bushes, holding his gun in his pocket as he heard the signs of more struggling. He knew he was deep in the forest _(wherever he was)_ and wasn't surprised that whoever was doing this was choosing such a location. As he stood up and quickened his pace, he heard some people laughing and a girl in the midst of crying._

_**Oh, that's not a good sign.**_

_The minute he turned a corner, he felt something hit his face. Alfred paused for a minute before taking it off, realizing that it was a pair of underwear. He froze. He knew whose pair this was _(it was a horrible accident. He got lost, thought it was his room, and was about to empty the cupboards for his room)._ He knew them well. He looked up and saw the girl _(Philia, her name was)_ struggling against the weight of at least four men, all of them holding her back while one of them was leaning between her legs. His hands were on her buttocks and were lifting them up. The screams were sickening._

_***BAM!***_

…

…

…

…

…

_He really had no idea how else to get their attention. But two seconds later the soldiers were staring at a rather pissed off American with a gun to their faces. Philia took this as a chance to struggle away from them and run. To his surprise, she actually ran behind him and clung onto his jacket. Half the time the girl just gets the hell out of there. Must be a new thing._

_**["You're from the German Empire, aren't you?"]**__ He spat at them._

_**["Who the hell are you?"]**__ One of them asked._

_**["I'm the motherFUCKING country in charge of her, thank you very much!"]**__ Alfred spat. __**["You can tell your emperor that Spain isn't going to be winning this war and that I already have claims! She's coming with me!"]**_

_**["Says who?"]**_

_**["Says my leader! And you better go before I start declaring war on your empire, and GOD KNOWS I can fight two at the same time and win them both!"]**_

_The men looked disgruntled but did as they were told. Philia was staring at him the entire time as the German soldiers marched back to camp, leaving the both of them alone. After a few minutes, Alfred laughed and put his gun away._

"_Ah…sometimes it's good to be the hero." He turned to Philia. "You OK?"_

_She didn't say anything, instead blushing and looking down. That's when he realized that he was still holding her underwear in his hand. His face went completely red _(gee, thanks for subtlety)_ before lifting up the underwear and gesturing her to put it back on, turning around so that he wouldn't watch. She took it quietly and tapped his back once she was done. He turned around._

"_You OK?"_

_She nodded quietly, holding onto his sleeve as they headed out of the jungle. He had to be grateful that she knew the way out: he was already lost. Alfred couldn't help but look back onto her as she looked straight ahead, obviously not wanting to draw any attention to herself._

"_I won't tell anyone if you don't."_

_She looked up._

"_Knowing your brother, he's going to start hating a little more if we tell him. And I want him to at least try liking the outside world."_

"_I'll tell him."_

"_Heh?"_

"_B-but I won't bring up the fact that they're German. And I'll say that you helped me…t-that should make kuya accept you."_

"_What, I thought your people were fighting me?"_

"_Part of us are a little grateful for you helping…but most of them are just tired of being ruled."_

"_That's understandable." Alfred sighed. "That's good. I'll go with it, but I won't tell a soul."_

"_Promise?"_

"_Until the day I dissolve."_

"_P-please don't promise that. It might happen!"_

"_Please! I'm the United States of America! I ain't dying anytime soon!"_

"…_all right."_

**/=+=/**

The room was completely silent, trying to comprehend what was going on. It was true that Charice and Rizal had lived with humans more than they did, but the fact that she almost suffered like they did as well…they heard a door slam and fast footsteps, and they knew what happened. Alfred slapped his face.

"_**Shit!**_ Don't tell me that was Charice…she told me that she and her brother were coming an hour late!"

"_It's already been an hour."_

Antonio was about to make a move when he turned and saw Ludwig beat him to it, dashing off after Charice. He tensed as he dashed off after him. No way was he going to try finishing what his people failed to do!

**/=+=/**

"Charice?"

Ludwig was looking around for what felt like forever. He had no idea where to start looking. Charice couldn't leave the building: the meeting was in Germany this time and hence if she walked out she's a ticking time bomb. She had to be in the building. _But where…?_

After a few minutes he found himself standing in front of the dining hall. Charice was fond of food, so she should be in here. He opened the door and sure enough, Charice was sitting away from the door looking at the center of the table as if possessed.

"Charice?"

She jumped and turned around. The minute they made eye contact she jumped up screaming and tried to get out, only seeing that the only door out was behind him. She instead opted to run to the windows, holding onto the bar as if she was going to jump out. That made him worry.

"C-Charice…look, don't jump-"

"I-I will, you know! You're not taking advantage of me anymore! And you know _**damn**_ well what I'm talking about!"

"…I do." He sighed. "Alfred told us everything…we drove it out of him, so it's our fault…"

"I figured he was going to tell someone…you can't hide secrets forever."

"…is there anything I can do to help?"

"Hah?"

"You're still scared of me. I want to help you get rid of that."

"…"

"The man who was going to take you…"

"…he…he looked just like you…same build, same hairstyle, same everything, even the voice."

The German was taken aback as she spat all of that back at him. He looked down for a few minutes before she noticed that he rubbed all the hair gel out and his bangs were going over his eyes. He looked so _**young**_ without that hair gel.

"H-how about now?"

She blinked. Even his voice was a little higher! It was still pretty deep, but nothing compared to the ever-deep voice that was Germany, the scariest guy on the planet. And that was pre-phobia.

"…the hell did you…?"

"This is my normal voice. I've used it before…only in casual situations, but…" He rubbed the back of his head. "Only with friends."

"Friends?"

"Yes. A few people have already heard it, but…I wanted to talk to you like this. The real me, in front of you." He stated. "I…I want to be your friend."

"…that sounds…weird, coming out of you."

"If you want to wait, that's fine. I just wanted to tell you that I'm not a threat to you."

"I…I know, but…**you.** Saying the word _**'friend'**_ is just **WEIRD."**

"…what?"

"I always figured that you threaten for friends, like Ivan or something."

"Um…I-I used to…but then again, I'm…not good with making friends."

"…no? _T-that's strange…my brother seems to really like you."_

"Eh?"

"Uh…n-nothing…" Charice started swinging her legs, looking away. "Though…if you're really being truthful-"

"I am."

"…then I guess I can…think about it." She rubbed the back of her head. "I don't doubt the truth."

"…thank you."

Charice and Ludwig stood at their side of the room, looking away in awkwardness and not really knowing what to do next. After a few seconds she turned back to the German, who was looking away awkwardly and making a bright red blush appear on his rather pale skin.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"_**GAAAH!"**_

"_Awww…you're not as huggy as Feli-chaaaaan…"_

"W-what the hell…?"

"Now I see why he hangs out with you a lot. You're _**awkward!**__**"**_

"_**H-huh?"**_

"Miiine~"

"_**GAAAAAH!"**_

**/=+=/**

**And hence started the strange exception to whoever Charice thought was a cute person.**

**[****NOTES****]**

**In 1896, around the Spanish-American War, the German Confederacy was on the rise. Since empires are prone to want colonies, they set their sights on the Philippines. The German emperor at the time believed that the mighty Spanish Empire would win the war against the rather newcoming American republic, and after they had been weakened in terms of supplies, money and fighting force, they would swarm over the Philippines and take over. What they weren't expecting was that America won the war instead, and when they began a small invasion America had already won and was colonizing as do please. There were small squabbles but the Germans had to leave once America threatened war on them.**

**Oh yeah, and the lighter Germany voice? Don't worry about it. Say that the voice she's used to is the Japanese VA deep voice. His real one would be the English VA voice. If you take a listen **_**(JUST A LISTEN, for all you dub haters)**_**, it's considerably higher-pitched than the Japanese one…just not by much, but you probably know that.**


	72. The Strange Friendship

**I was planning out another chapter fanfic when I came across something rather…creepy. And I had to type this one out.**

**/=+=/**

No one could really explain the strange truce that they had. They would talk normally even if the others were completely terrified of them. They sat next to each other in the lunch room and talk about normal stuff. Heck, even when one of them was acting _**cracked**_ the other one wouldn't care. And their bosses don't even talk to each other that much!

These two people were none other than Rizal Pacquiao and Ivan Braginski.

Even Charice happened to be scared of Ivan, so how her brother got interest in him is mind-boggling. But no one really knows how actual their relationship is…the fact that there was one at all was the creepier part of the entire thing.

**/=+=/**

They had a meeting in Russia that day, and not too many people were too thrilled about the whole idea, especially Alfred. He was looking around a little tense while the others were just plain terrified about the whole thing. Charice and Feliciano were clinging onto each other half the time.

"Are you really scared about this place?" Rizal looked up from his paper. "They aren't communist anymore."

"I-I know!" Alfred shivered. _"I-I just can't help but get the chills from time to time."_

"…then why aren't you scared of China? He's communist."

"…just…because…_you know…"_

_He's actually scared of him?_

Charice and Feliciano were watching in shock as Rizal openly drank out of the cup in front of him, even though the last time it was clearly proved that it was vodka in there and not any form of water. After a few seconds, he placed down his yo-yos and continued to read his Russian newspaper. Charice couldn't read it for her life.

"…_hey, Feli-chan. Can you read this?"_

"_Veee…no…"_ Feliciano squinted. _"It looks like something I've seen on the computer…"_

"_Great…and Rizal can read it…"_

A few seconds later, Rizal pushed his chair out of the way as a blade struck the side of the table. Everyone looked up as they saw a smiling Ivan with four blades in his hand, throwing them all at Rizal. He quickly blocked three of them and caught the fourth one before seeing Ivan charge him and they ran into battle.

Everyone had to duck underneath their table as the two of them started attacking each other. Natalya was the only one who seemed calm enough, handing Ivan a blade of his own before they got into knife-to-knife combat. The blades were so loud and strong that the poor nations there were crying underneath their desks.

"_**VEEEEEE! What's going on?"**_

"_SHHHHH! Speak any louder and they might be able to hear you, Feli-chan!"_

Halfway through the fight, their blades shattered and stuck themselves into the table, making Yao scream in shock. Rizal smiled as he started hopping back and forth while Ivan grabbed his pipe and charged. The movements were oddly fluid, dodging and countering and blocking and _**DEAR GOD THE PIPE IS COMING INTO OUR FACES!**_

Poor Raivis was having a heart attack at this point.

The Filipino took a breath as he turned to Irunya as she hesitantly handed over an iron rod and soon went back into the battle. Quite frankly, people couldn't really tell what was going on from all the clanging sounds echoing out. Five seconds later, Ivan had Rizal pinned to the ground. Without even skipping a beat, he flipped the Russian over and jumped back to his feet as he started jumping back and forth.

"_C-Charice…w-what's going on?"_

"_Don't ask me, Doitsu-ki…please don't…"_

Rizal seemed to be kicking half the time, punching only when Ivan was taking a lunge. They couldn't tell who was being hit, but all they could hear is something being hit or something else being tripped over. After a few long minutes _(twenty-three, to be exact)_, the two of them stood tired in the middle of the meeting hall. Despite the few papers flying in the air, the place was oddly void of damages. Ivan stood up.

"Ne~~~how did I do…?"

"…not bad. Getting faster." Rizal smiled, wiping a trail of blood as he stood up. "Though you really should start learning how to kick better."

"I can't help it. Punching's in my blood." Ivan lifted up his pipe. "The only thing I can use past that is my pipe."

"I noticed. At least you're holding it correctly. You almost got me the first time." He smiled. "But you only landed twenty-eight punches that time."

"Awwww…I thought I landed thirty."

"Those last two were on Gilbert over there. So I guess I win that bet."

"…darn. I guess I'm treating you to dinner tonight?"

"At least you choose the restaurant."

"I know the best ones in Moscow, da?"

"Da." He turned around. "You can come out now, you guys."

"…"

"What?"

"_I-I don't wanna…"_

"Oh hush up, Alfred. I have to test you later, too."

"_**EEEEEHHHHH?"**_

**/=+=/**

**The Philippines is one of the many Asian places that hold a famous martial art. The only difference is that, unlike Japan and China, no one really knows the name…as far as I'm concerned. That's because there are about as many types of Filipino martial arts as there are "islands on the Philippines" **_**(as quoted)**_**. Out of those are eight main ones: three unarmed, and five armed. Before you start asking, Rizal is good at a couple of them **_**(he had years to practice, of course)**_**.**

**The ones that Rizal is good at are "Sikaran" **_**(popular along the Rizal providence)**_** and "Eskrima" **_**(known as 'mano mano' for some reason)**_**. ****Eskrima**** is the popular version known among the world and was actually used in some movies such as ****Blade II**** and ****The Book of Eli****. That art focuses on disarming the enemy and using improvised small weapons such as knives and small bamboo sticks. ****Sikaran**** is more of a melee-type art that focuses on kicking. Their signature kick, "Biakid Kick", was rumored to have been stolen by Tae Kwon Doe after Filipinos started showing up in Eastern Martial Arts tournaments in the late 60's. This is supported by the fact that Koreans haven't done any type of spin kicks until after the early 70's.**

**By the way, Ivan and Charice are masters at "Bangkaw" or "Tongat", an art that's sufficient only when using a long pole or a rod. Charice is also learning Eskrima as well.**

**Surprisingly enough, the Filipino martial arts are known as the most advanced practical modern blade system in the world. Eskrima is now used in the U.S. Army's Modern Army Combative program and with the Russian Spetsnaz special forces.**

**Oddly enough, I've heard rumors that the Filipino movement against the Spanish Empire was what inspired the Russians to rebel against the monarchy and become communist. I have no idea if that's true…but if it is…well, yeah.**


	73. History in a Nutshell

_Once upon a time, in an era far far away, there was a land called Germany. During the early 1900s, he wanted nothing more than to be a brilliant dancer. He trained during those long ten years, and was then recognized by the acclaimed dancer and musician named Austria. He was invited to join his dance troupe during the 1910s and they took over the whole world as much as they could. The only problem was that when the other dancers took wind of him, the troupe was easily defeated and disbanded for being poorly handled and trained._

_The 1920s were a grueling time for little Germany. While the other troupes profited from the victory money that they won, he was forced to train day and night, all trying to find his hidden talent. The only person that seemed to be supporting him was his older brother Prussia, who was giving him advice and suggesting things that could be his trademark skill._

_And then he found it._

_Techno raving._

_He was so enchanted by the sound of techno music that he found himself moving in ways that no one could figure out how. He was a god to many of them, and had garnered the attention of the performance judge named Russia. The both of them secretly gained a small alliance and before the world knew it, Germany had out-techno'ed the nearby Poland and his skills in ballet. Before they knew it, he had turned around and out-techno'ed the famous, suave and smooth dancer France. But in order to truly gain success, he would need allies to form his dance troupe. And allies he found._

_His brother Prussia was the top contender. He knew techno just as well as the younger brother, and their duo dances would topple the other dancers one-by-one._

_His first ally he caught…er…recruited was Italy. What fascinated many people was that he couldn't dance at all. He had no talent and seemed to have no pattern to his steps. But what attracted his attention was how fast his feet were. When he's flailing around, he almost looks like he was tap dancing. Once they included tapping shoes, Italy became a force to be reckoned with._

_Next to him, his brother Romano was a little harder to work with. He was just as fast and had a sense of rhythm and beat, but instead he did not want to work with Germany at all. It was only after he allowed the flamenco-dancing Spain to join him that Romano bothered to show up to dance rehearsals._

_And the final man of the troupe was a surprising underdog: Japan. He had brilliant grace and elegance, but what stumped him was how Japan seemed to have a dance to almost __**every single**__** song**__ he had ever heard in his life. The ability to plan on the spot was perfect for his troupe._

_With this powerful troupe under his command, Germany took over the dancing world by storm. The beaten France was forced to go behind the rocker England, but his rock-n-roll skills alone couldn't beat the man who out-techno'ed half of the dance troupe._

_Enter America._

_At first, America seemed indifferent with a foreign dance tournament and instead wanted to sit back and recover from the dancing injuries that he took when he had that bad accident 1929. The only problem was that Japan, in his planning stage for their next performance, had instead whacked America right where one of his bruises were. It was then that America realized that the young man had been planning so much that he was forcing all his neighbors to dance with him in order to get a move right. Poor China was near breaking a hip or two, and the Philippine siblings were too exhausted to go on._

_Undaunted, America joined the party with his rap and pop moves. His new abilities were foreign to the competitors, even to the techno-raving German. Instantly, the people that he had beaten started rallying around the new art and soon Russia joined the party. The duo of the pop-and-lock America and the improvising Russia quickly beaten the German into submission, and he lost the competition all the same. Just for the heck of it, America turned around and won a rap-out with Japan._

_After a few minutes of debating, England suggested that Germany's obsession with techno was because of bad parenting on Prussia's terms. So they decided that Prussia was going to lose custody of the boy while France, England and America both took care of the man and introduce him to the new world of rap and gothic rock. Russia would go ahead and instantly try to dress Prussia up in something a little more "suave" than he had before._

_Meanwhile, Japan was looking elsewhere for better music. And then he found Korea._

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"Um…yeah, Charice?"

"What, Rizal?"

"I'm pretty sure that's not how World War II happened."

"But it's _**funnier…"**_


	74. The Magic of Rice

Rizal and Charice were sitting at a dining table, staring at each other. It was a fancy UN meeting and they were going to be served by waiters. They were at a table of eight, looking at each other while looking at the twelve choices that someone decided to write down on a menu.

"Who in the world decided this menu?" Rizal blinked.

"I have no idea." Charice answered. "Feli-chan, do you know?"

"Um…no." He answered. "But I did ask for a pasta dish~!"

"And they gave it to us." Kiku pointed at it. "I'm guessing you're taking it?"

"Ve~~~of course~!"

"What're you getting, kuya?"

"I guess the special."

"Oh…yeah, that works too." Charice nodded. "I'm getting the Caesar salad special with this and this and this and this and-"

"My god, Charice. You eat too much."

"No I don't…"

Soon, they ordered and the food began to be served. A long conversation about what happened during the meeting _(even though they vowed that it was going to stay in the meeting hall)_ occurred as they ate in sync. After a few minutes, they realized that Rizal had stopped.

"You full already?"

"Yeah…I don't think I can take another bite."

"But you still have a third of your food left." Kiku stated.

"…I'll probably wrap it and bring it home for tomorrow's breakfast or something."

"…all right…"

**/=+=/**

The two of them stared at each other as they sat at a buffet table. It was soon to open up and certain aspects were being open for the public to take. Curse Alfred for wanting to come _**early**_ before the actual place opened up. After a few long minute or two, the buffet finally opened.

"Finally. I'm hungry." Rizal stood up. "You coming, Charice?"

"Yeah, I'm coming."

Arthur sat at the table to look over the stuff while everyone else went to get food. Two seconds later, Rizal came back with one small plate, signaling him that he can go. He wasn't surprised that rice was on his plate: it was a delicacy in all Asian dishes. When he sat down, he wasn't surprised to see that Rizal was taking his time eating while telling Alfred that his recent plan for reducing oil was as stupid as letting Charice loose in Italy. Someone had to tell him, and Arthur decided that today it wouldn't be him.

**/= [ONE HOUR LATER] =/**

"My _**god**_, Rizal! Are you still hungry?"

"Eh…yeah, kind of. The food here isn't filling me up."

"_**But you already had FIFTEEN PLATES, **__**FILLED TO THE BRIM!**__**"**_

"Oh, did I?" Rizal turned his head. "Huh…but I'm still hungry."

"Kuya."

"What?"

"No rice this time."

**/=+=/**

**Rizal has a selective stomach. He's about normal, but give him rice and he can eat the world if he wants to.**


	75. Cute Obsession Syndrome

**As if we needed an in-depth analysis about something like this.**

**This is Cute-Obsession Mode.**

**/= [LEVEL 01] =/**

"Feli-chan~!"

"Ve~~~~Charice~!"

Rizal and Ludwig looked up as Feliciano finally met up with Charice in the park they were in and proceeded to hug each other out. After that, they went into a small conversation with each other, and half of that was nothing more than endless chirping or whatever that is. Charice would not stop swaying and chirping whenever Feliciano would _"ve"_ cutely.

"What's with her, Rizal?"

"Hah?"

"Charice." Ludwig looked at him. "She's so…happy whenever she's with Feliciano."

"Not just him. Lovino, too." Rizal ate his noodle lunch. "And Erika. And Tino. And recently Matthew, I think."

"Who?"

"The other guy with the teddy bear."

"Ah. Him." Ludwig blinked, eating his wurst. "So…you know why Charice likes them so much?"

"Cute-Obsession Syndrome."

"Cute-Obse-"

_***awkward pause***_

"Um…excuse me?"

"What, you never heard of it? It's Cute-Obsession Syndrome. Yao has a mild case of it." Rizal said with a monotone voice. "It's basically a mental disease where the sufferer has a strange obsession with anything they consider cute."

"T-that sounds dangerous…"

"It is to a certain fault." Rizal looked up. "How she is now, Feliciano should be fine."

"…wait…why do you say **should be**?"

"Because it's only Level 01."

_***awkward pause***_

"L-Level 01?"

"Yeah. There are three levels in terms of Charice. Fortunately, she usually stays in 01…at most, 02." Rizal sighed. "The only problem is that…I've only seen 03 once."

"A-and what happens during Level 03?"

"…well…um…"

"W-what?"

"Stuff happens." Rizal continued eating. "Fortunately, it only happened once and I was able to find the body in time."

"Find the-"

He turned to Charice, who was just sharing her ice cream cone with Feliciano. The Italian accidentally got a bit of it on his nose, and he _"ve~d"_ about how cold it was on his skin, making Charice laugh and clean it off for him. He turned back to Rizal.

"…what?"

"Don't…think too hard about it, all right? It's best that no one sees the abomination that is Level 03."

"…um…_o…kay…"_

**/= [LEVEL 02] =/**

The whole meeting hall was filled with people as the first break was called. Roderich stood from his position, hoping that he would avoid Gilbert this time as he wished for a pleasant moment with a cup of coffee and perhaps a piece of cake or two. He looked up and saw Charice as she…

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"Um…C-Charice?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you holding onto?"

"Eh? Uh…" She looked down. "I'm not sure."

"You're…you're not sure."

"Nope."

"But you're hovering in midair."

"Yeah…looks like it."

"But you have no idea why?"

"Not a clue. I just latched onto air." She snuggled. "But whatever it is, it's cute~!"

"_S-someone…help…me…"_

"Hm? I thought I heard something."

"Yeah, I know…_**oh well!"**_

"_M-maple…"_

**/= [LEVEL 03] =/**

"Ve~~~I hope Charice and Rizal like the dinner I made them!"

Feliciano started chopping up the meatballs as he began making a rather exquisite meal for the two visitors _(he had Kiku teach him how to make rice, just for Rizal's benefit)_. After a few minutes, he felt the knife accidentally make a beeline to his finger. He yelped cutely and sucked on the wound.

"_Ow ow ow…"_ He whimpered. _"T-that hurt…"_

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"Ve? Charice would usually come out of nowhere around this time…"

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_***clatter***_

"**VEEEEE!**I-is someone there?"

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"_V-ve…"_

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_***LATCH***_

"_**VEEEEEEEEEE!"**_

Afterwards, Feliciano had to be sent to the hospital for broken bones and a heart attack. Poor Charice had to spend her time in Italy at the local hotel.


	76. Hetalia Halloween Event 2011

**Well, seeing as how the Halloween 2011 event is over, I figured that I might as well write my chapter about it. I read it first just to make sure what was going on…as well as make sure about any new countries that might be debuting. I didn't notice anything about the Philippines **_**(but if it's those two countries at the end, then I'm sorry, I didn't see any notes)**_**, but there is now officially an India and a Luxemburg. AND THEY'RE EPIC.**

**If the Philippines did show up in the comic, you might as well tell me now. My eyes suck at this -_-"**

**YOU MUST HAVE SEEN THE HETALIA HALLOWEEN EVENT 2011 IN ORDER TO GET MOST OF THE REFERENCES HERE. I will be focusing only on the twins, so if you want to see other countries and their points of view, you're going to have to read it yourself. AND IT'S EPIC.**

**Oh, and kudos to those who catch what their costumes are~**

**/=+=/**

"Hey, kuya! Check this out!"

"What?" He looked up from his Christmas decorations. "What is it?"

"Alfred's inviting us to a Halloween event!" She waved a huge invitation in his face. "Isn't it great? We get to see people all dressed up!"

"It's nothing but one big cosplay event, Charice. And besides, I have to fix these Christmas decorations. Someone broke them again."

"Oh, come on! It's been a while since I found a great cosplay event! And besides, _**Ludwig**_ might be there~"

"W-what's that got to do with things?" Rizal turned away.

"Well, I heard that Elizabeta might work on his costume-"

"_**All right, all right."**_

**/=+=/**

"Come on, Rizal! Get out of the changing room already!"

"…_no…"_

"No one's looking, remember? Come on!"

She heard mumbling for a few minutes before he walked out of the dressing room, wearing a dragon skull on his head and black robes that seemed to stretch to _**god knows how long**_. He looked at himself in the mirror and wanted to crawl into a room to die a slow death _(hopefully, the sword in the sheath he has will help him)_. He turned back to her.

"…why am I wearing this?"

"Because it's a costume, kuya!"

"This isn't a _**convention**_, ate…"

"But it's a costume, nonetheless! Everyone there is going to dress up like the usual stuff: pirates, fairies and whatnot. This is _**CREATIVITY IN THE WORKS!**__**"**_

_Or the rather crazed up mind of my older sister._ "What the heck are you wearing, anyway?"

"Oh, this? Well, I missed out on wearing this to Kiku's party so I decided to wear it now!"

Rizal stared at what she had missed out on wearing. She was wearing a white shirt and pink arm warmers _(kind of like her normal read arm warmers)_ and the BIGGEST RED PANTS that he had ever seen in his life. The fact that she was carrying their broom as well made him facepalm…or at least, try to, if the damn helmet wasn't in the way.

"What. The. Hell. Is. _**That?"**_

"It's my broom! I'm a witch, after all!"

"…why are you so damn _**pink?"**_

"Because it's the theme of my costume, of course! Now come on! We have a party to go to!"

"_**Why me…?"**_

**/=+=/**

To Rizal's joy, there wasn't that many people there when they got there. He immediately made it his mission to try and hide into the crowd before anyone showed up, a good mission nonetheless. Unfortunately, he realized that someone was looking at him, and he was smiling.

"Oh hey, Rizal~!"

"…_Alfred…"_

"You don't sound too happy, dude!"

"_Because Charice decided that I was going to be a pin-up doll for her convention…"_

"Interesting. Still, you look really awesome dude!"

"…_thanks…"_

"Come on, lighten up! Everyone else is going to be dressed up just like you!"

"But at least they _**wanted**_ to dress up…"

"Just enjoy yourself! If you're really lucky, no one's going to remember seeing you!"

"…please tell me you spiked the drinks."

"No, nothing of the like! There're some underage kids here!" Alfred laughed. "But I didn't ban anyone _**bringing**_ them!"

"…_then bring about fifteen thousand barrels of them, please."_

"**SURE CAN, BRO!"**

And Alfred ran away, leaving Rizal alone and sighing. Other people were coming in, and Charice was busy annoying the hell out of all of them. He decided that he might as well not care and went to hang out toward the exit…on the off chance that he has the ability to flee like a little girl…and he didn't care if it was not honorable at all. He headed over there and found an arm dropping right in front of him.

"No no no! You're not going to leave me here, kuya!"

"…_damn…"_

"Come on! I see Kiku over there!"

She was dragging him toward the cooler, seeing the Asian group with their planned costume theme turn around and see the two of them waving a greeting hello _(at least, Charice was. Rizal was trying not to have his arm pop out)_. Kiku and Li Xiao waved hello back, having some light glares at each other.

"You're here already, aru?" Yao asked.

"Of course, of course!" Charice waved her hand in the air. "We dressed up into our costumes before we head into the airport, so we didn't have to worry about any costume malfunctions!"

"Hah?" Lin Yi tilted her head. "They allowed Rizal to wear the helmet?"

"No, they didn't…I had to put it in my carry-on." He answered. "But yes, I had to wear this thing…"

"It looks comfortable enough…" Lin Yi stated.

"I made it myself! So it can be worn with _**anything!"**_ Charice raised her hand. "Either separate or as this magnificent set!"

"_God, just kill me now."_

"Do you have a theme or something, da ze?" Yong Soo blinked. "You two don't seem to have one…"

"A…theme?" Rizal turned his head. "Charice, did the letter mention anything about a theme?"

"Of course we have a theme, kuya! We're from a popular video game series!" She laughed. _**"THAT'S OUR THEME!"**_

…_god, why?_

"I had a feeling I knew what you were." Kiku was laughing. "That costume looks good on you, Charice. Even without the wig."

"Screw the wig! Black hair is better than pink!" She laughed. "But thanks, Kiku! Your costume looks good too!"

"What's your theme anyway?" Rizal turned his head. "Chinese folklore or something?"

"The story of Son Goku, aru!" Yao grinned. "The best story of all time!"

"…all right…" Rizal blinked. "Whatever floats the boat of this…_**whatever."**_

"But you should see Sun Tam, da ze!" Yong Soo grabbed Charice's hand. "She's a **GUNDAM!"**

"_**A **__**WHAT?**__** NO WAY!"**_ She pulled his hand back. "Show me, show me!"

And with that, the two of them ran deeper and deeper into the crowd, forcing Rizal to follow. Of course, with the amount of people that was suddenly flooding in _(he must've bumped into six people…one of them looked like a child)_ he was quick to lose them into the depths of the place. He sighed and gave up.

"I'll probably just head toward the exit again…knowing her, she probably has a tracking device on me so that I don't try to get out and hang myself with one of the Halloween decorations…"

He turned and headed closer to the exit, passing the bathrooms on the way there and bumping into the wall _(way to go)_. Rizal paused and mumbled an apology before realizing that…this wasn't a wall. He blinked and focused his eyes for a minute, realizing that it was actually a suit of golden armor which bore a winged crest on it.

_It's a Roman warrior…great, I must've bumped into Feliciano…at least Charice will __definitely__ find me…_ He paused. _Wait a minute…this is way too tall to be him…_

And then he decided to look up to see…

Germany.

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"Oh, Rizal. I'm sorry, I didn't see you."

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"Yeah. Me neither." He cleared his throat. "Got dragged here as well, right?"

"Yeah…but then again, it gives Feliciano a chance to relax." He answered. "Unfortunately, we…couldn't do our theme of being warriors, so…"

"…what's he wearing now?"

"Veeee! Ludwig, I thought I lost you!" A voice echoed out. _**"VEEE!"**_

Rizal turned his head around and saw that it was Feliciano in his costume, which seemed to consist of nothing more than a large brown rag and a chain around his neck. He was shaking in his place, his closed irises still somehow able to stare in terror at the figure in front of him. It didn't take long for Rizal to realize that he was scared of him.

_God, if Charice can see him now…_ "It's just me, Italy. Don't worry."

"Ve? Charice?"

"…" _Do we really look alike or something?_ "Rizal."

"Oh…s-sorry…you had a feminine figure in that outfit, so I thought that you were her!"

_Oh that's just __**PERFECT…**_

"Ve…where is she, anyway?"

"Running around with Yong Soo. She lost me in the crowd, so I decided to wander on my own." He rubbed his forehead. "Apparently, that's not a good idea anymore."

"Why?"

"Me in a feminine-looking outfit. Tell me Francis isn't around here."

"…oh." Ludwig sighed. "That would make sense."

"I'm just going to say something right now: let's hope that Charice doesn't see the both of you at the same time."

"Ve? Why?"

"Just…_**cause."**_

And it was jinxed. Five seconds later, she and Yong Soo came out of the crowd to see the two newcomers in their costumes. Charice blinked for a few minutes, staring at Ludwig for a few minutes and then turning to Feliciano before turning to Yong Soo, who gestured that she should be the one to say it. She sighed.

"_**Damn**_, Doitsu-ki! You sure know how to get what you want, huh?"

"_**I DIDN'T CHOOSE FELICIANO'S COSTUME!"**_ He reacted, calming down rather quickly. "The other ones didn't fit on him…"

"…oh." Yong Soo turned to Feliciano. "You're no one's prisoner then?"

"V-ve…no…just in this costume…"

"Oh…interesting." Charice nodded for a few minutes. "Oh well. _**Mine now!"**_

"_**VEEEEEE! GERMANY, HELP!"**_

**/=+=/**

"Waaaah…why did you drag me away from him, kuya…?"

"Because if I didn't, he would've torn your head off of your body. I can't afford life insurance, you know."

Charice sighed as Rizal headed further into the building, hoping that Feliciano wasn't going to follow just because he was worried of her. After a few steps, Rizal decided that they were far enough and headed to a slow stop, letting her go. He was about to lecture her when she saw her scream bloody murder. He turned around and saw the most detailed skeleton pirate outfit that he had ever seen in his life…perhaps the best one of the night. The scream caught his attention, and the pirate panicked before heading toward them.

"_**I-I am a fearsome ghost pirate! Fear me!"**_

"_**I HAVE NO CANDY, PIRATE! BEGONE WITH THEE! I HAVE CHANTS AND CURSES AND…and…YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!"**_

"Ha! Looks like you got your first scare of the day, Tino!"

The three of them looked up and saw the rest of the Nordic Countries heading toward them, wearing ghost pirate getup and looking rather good doing it. Charice turned back to the pirate next to her as she added two and two together…and Rizal had to admit that this was all kinds of funny. She turned back to him.

"_**TINO?"**_

"Ahahaha…sorry, I wanted to be scary…" The real voice came back as he rubbed behind his head.

"No kidding. You have some nice details with your costume." Rizal laughed. "Hey Magnus, how long did he work on this?"

"I really don't have a clue!" He laughed back. "I'm guessing that you're planning on winning this costume event, aren't you?"

"…maybe." Rizal grinned. "You have something to prove?"

"Oh of course I do." Magnus grinned, leaning forward. "I have a whole group. You only have your sister."

"You don't know anything about my sister, don't you? I have to let you know that she is very intimidati-"

And Charice was glomping Tino again.

"_**You owe me **__**BIG TIME**__** for this! You better give me everything I want for Christmas, all right?"**_

**/=+=/**

"Seriously, I might as well place you on a leash."

"What, and be one of Germany's harem?"

"For the last time, _**he doesn't have a harem."**_

"Says you."

After a few minutes, Rizal finally let Charice go, letting her breathe. She rubbed her wrists for a few minutes before allowing herself a chance trip to the food table, eating up all the cookies in one go and leaving only five for him _(he took them before she noticed the table)_. He sighed as Charice started chatting at a random passerby who had no idea who her costume was. Do parties have to be _**this**_ crazy…?

"Ahahahaha! You look so manly in that outfit, Charice!"

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and chills ran up his back. He quickly swatted it back in reflex, noticing that it was only Antonio in what looked like a green outfit. They made eye contact for a few minutes before the Spaniard smiled sadly at the reaction.

"…I'm sorry…you looked like your sister from behind…"

No other words were exchanged as Antonio finally found her talking up that random passerby and saved the poor soul by dragging her away. Rizal quickly followed suit _(he ain't leaving her alone now)_, noticing that Espen and Anri were by his side now.

"What's your theme?" Rizal asked, trying to squash his rage.

"We're from Little Red Riding Hood!" Anri pointed at herself. "I'm the main character, Espen's the wolf, and Antonio's the woodsman!"

"…woodsman, huh?"

"Oh come on, cheer up!" Anri started patting his back. "This is supposed to be a joyous event!"

"I know it is. At least you're really a girl…I keep thinking that Francis is going to pop out of nowhere or something…"

"…then I'll handle it."

All Espen had to do was crack his knuckles and everyone understood his message. Rizal sighed as he looked up and saw that Antonio and Charice were complimenting each other's costumes, Charice going so far as to examine the fake gun that he had. That scene alone made him cringe for some reason.

"Wow…this is so cool…" She chirped. "Did Vash give this to you?"

"Of course. It looks real because it is! Of course, Espen and Anri made sure that there weren't any bullets or gunpowder in it, so it's harmless!" Antonio laughed. "But it's still really deadly!"

"That sounds…epic." She answered, before looking around. "That's…weird."

"What is it?" Rizal stopped.

"Where's Lovi-chan? I would've thought that he'd be here…"

"Maybe he actually found a way to get the hell out of here." He answered. _"Which I would like to find right now."_

"No, I saw him around here once…" Antonio turned his head around. "Maybe we lost Lovi-chan?"

"Yeah, maybe. Lovi-chan seems to like being lost~"

"_**For the last time…IT'S LOVINO."**_

They turned their heads to see Lovino's costume…and Rizal had to raise his eyebrow. He thought his costume was girly; Lovino's was literally that of an old grandmother, with the bonnet and the dress and even the slippers at his feet. He was armed with a gun, however, and he didn't look happy.

"_**Will you stop STARING, Rizal?"**_

"I'm not staring. I'm just looking at you in the eye and I'm getting a little tired."

"_**Don't start with me…"**_

"You sound so mad." Rizal grinned. "Big Bad Wolf scare you to wearing that?"

"**NO!"** Lovino answered. "I am not scared of anythi- _**GAAAAAAAAH!**__**"**_

"Hey, Antonio! Is Lovi-chan wearing anything underneath this dress? It's pretty short to have him go bare!"

"**What the fuck are you doi- **_**HEY! **__**HEY!**__** Don't go under the damn dress! HEY, **__**HEEEEEEEEYYYY!**__**"**_

"Damn, he has boxers underneath this...we can easily redeem this!"

"W-what the hell are you doi- _**CHIIIGGGGIIIIII!**__**"**_

**/=+=/**

Fortunately for them, Darshan had appeared out of nowhere with a big dance number and had quickly distracted Charice with some Bollywood dance moves that she quickly wanted to mimic. Rizal sighed and turned his head around, noticing that most of Ludwig's friends had shed their costumes and had opted to be his prisoners instead.

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_Not a harem, not a harem, not a harem, not a harem…_

A weird swoosh caught his attention, and he turned his head around to see that there was no one behind him. It was then that he realized that Francis and Monica were flying in the air, sprinkling fairy dust in the air like they were actually Peter Pan and the like. He had to take a breath and try not to look up. Leave it to Francis to choose the gayest outfit in the world with tight green tights and a green skirt. All he needed to do now was to have this long dramatic speech and he would be complete.

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Well, that didn't happen, but he did find himself flying in the air.

"Ah, such a dashing beauty, hidden by such a mask~"

_Oh…you have got to be…_

"Look at me, dear sweet…haven't you wished that you can fly?"

_No no no no no no no no no no no…_

"Look to the heavens, sweet one! And let your dreams fly to their wildest expectations!"

"_**Oh come on! I was going to tolerate this entire Halloween, but I do not want to be **__**RAPED BY FRENCH PEOPPPPPLLLLLEEEEEEEE!**__**"**_

**/= [OMAKE] =/**

"Are you saying that you won't take the alcohol that your little brother poured for you?"

"_I-I can't…West…"_ Gilbert drooped. _"I've had…all I can take…"_

"I'll drink it then!" Arthur reached forward. "Gimme gimme!"

Everyone stared at the group of people wearing prisoner outfits drinking early in the morning, all chirping and singing Halloween songs as if the night had never ended. After a few minutes, they heard footsteps and saw that Charice had found them, wearing her usual attire and looking rather confused.

"…you do realize that the party's been over for…twelve hours, right?"

"V-ve…"

"Well, these Westerners just love to party…" Kiku answered, looking away and realizing that the prisoner outfit was just a _**little**_ too small.

"Hm…well, if the party's going on…you guys are all prisoners, right?"

"Um…yeah, I guess?" Francis looked around, still a little drunk.

"Well, all prisoners have a master to make sure that they all behave, right?"

"W-well-"

"_**WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIX THAT, DON'T WE?"**_

And they all lived.

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**/=+=/**

**Most of you don't know the costumes the Philippine twins were wearing, so I decided to tell you. Some of you might know what I'm talking about.**

**Charice is "Arche" from ****Tales of Phantasia****. I just love that character. And they're so much alike.**

**Rizal is "Judas" from ****Tales of Destiny 2****. I would've opted for "Kyle" from the same series **_**(because they share the same voice actor…in my dreams :P)**_**, but Kyle wears almost all red. That wouldn't work out at all, nope.**

**Darshan**** is the name of the now-canon India! Yes, ladies and gents, India's a male in this series. Cry all you want. I even thought it would be a woman. In political terms, India and the Philippines are actually on the top five list of best friend nations.**


	77. The Rubix Cube

"Hey there, Eliza~!"

"Oh, hi there Charice." She laughed, holding a bag in her hand. "Nice to see that you're coming to this meeting."

"I know, right?" She paused. "Wait, what's in the bag?"

"An invention of my nation's." She answered with a grin. "I want to show it to the others and see if they'll like it."

"I'm interested now."

The both of them walked into the room and saw that the others stare at Elizabeta for a few minutes before she dropped the bag on the table in front of her and pulled something out. It was then that everyone else realized what it was: it was a Rubix Cube. Alfred started swearing.

"I'm curious to see who can solve the puzzles that are in here." She answered. "I have a lot of versions in this. The original cube at 3x3x3, then the 4x4x4…all the way up to 8x8x8! Who wants to take that one~?"

"I'm just going to take the original one." Ludwig sighed. "It'll give me time to calm down."

"You have a Rubik's Magic in here too?" Roderich blinked. "Interesting."

"I claim the Babylon's Tower." Arthur took it."

After a few minutes, everyone had grabbed a couple of puzzles and started to work on it. Charice decided to do something easy and did the 2x2 block. She sat down in her table for a few seconds, staring at it for a few minutes, before deciding to work on it.

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"_**I CAN'T FUCKING SOLVE THIS!"**_

"That's it. I hate this."

Elizabeta started laughing for a few minutes as she started watching everyone started flipping everything together for a few minutes before half of them started having mental breakdowns. Charice was having problems as well, deciding that she might as well try to figure out how to embed this in the wall. It was then that Rizal started to walk through the door.

"…the heck's going on?"

"Oh, I'm just showing them a few puzzles my people made." She smiled. "Some of them haven't solved this."

"All right…show me one of them."

"Start easy. Here's the Rubik's Magic."

"It's 2D."

"It's easy."

Rizal stared at it for a few minutes before putting it down on the table and stare at it some more. He blinked for a few more seconds before reaching out to it and started twitching her fingers. It was then that everyone realized that it was completely solved.

"…that was easy." He answered.

"I know, right? I already solved it and the five ring version." Elizabeta stated. "Anyone else done?"

"_**DON'T START WITH ME!"**_ Gilbert started screaming, moving the 8x8 box randomly. "I'm supposed to be awesome! This isn't working!"

"Hey, why don't I try this?" Antonio asked. "It looks fun."

"Sure, have fun dude." He gave up.

"This is kind of hard…" Ludwig nodded as he placed down his finished puzzle.

"Thank GOD we're done…" Charice plopped down her puzzle. "I give up."

"Oh, I see…" Kiku worked on the Hungarian Rings. "Ah, I got it. Solved."

"Ve…I want to see that one over there."

"Eh? Which one, Feliciano?"

"That one, Eliza. The one that looks like a huge star."

"Oh, the Teraminx~!" She grinned. "Are you sure, Feliciano? It's really ha-"

"I'm done, Eliza-chan!"

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"Damn, he's good."

"Ahahaha! This is easier than I thought!"

"Oh, come on! Don't tell me that you finished that big-ass puzzle in that short a time!"

"It's not that hard~"

Gilbert and Lovino spent the rest of the meeting shoving nails into his head.

**/=+=/**

**The familiar Rubik's cube is created by a Hungarian inventor, and the whole company is in Hungary. All the puzzles named in here are part of the company and can be found on YouTube.**


	78. A Shocking Announcement

**Hey, someone just brought up something rather interesting: I had a one-year anniversary with this fanfic! One year ago, the Philippine Twins were admitted into the fanfiction world to you loyal fans, and you should be given a round of applause for being there as these two characters turn the fiction age of one this year!**

**/=+=/**

The meeting hall was staring at Irunya, the poor Ukrainian looking down at the table and hiding her hands underneath the surface. As Charice and Rizal finally entered the room, the Belarusian was actually being supportive of her elder sibling, holding her shoulder and rubbing it back and forth.

"What's going on with her?" Rizal asked someone.

"I don't know. Irunya just said that she didn't want to hide this from the world anymore." Raivis blinked. "Ivan seems to be extremely concerned."

He knew what he was talking about as the both of them sat down at their respective places and waited for the host nation to start the meeting. This time around, it was Roderich's turn to do so. He was pointing at his perspective at what sounded like the legalization of gay marriages in certain nations. That made Irunya shake her head as the other nations started staring at Alfred and asking how he was doing with that.

"You look perplexed, Irunya." Rizal finally brought up. "What's wrong?"

"…I'm…I'm sorry." She shook her head. "I just wanted to…bring something up. I don't want to hide it from anyone anymore."

The whole world stopped as they saw Irunya shake back and forth, trying her best to get enough energy and courage in her blood to say what she had to say. Natalya had kept her hand where it was, making a lot of the nations quite intrigued at what was going on. Some of them wondered if Irunya was secretly dying or something like that.

"Um…there's…there's something that I…I have to say…I…" She started mumbling.

"…what?" Arthur looked at her. "You can tell us."

"…well…_I'm a __Twilight __fan…"_

The whole room went apeshit with yells and complaints.

"I-I'm sorry! I just really love the concept of a human woman who falls in love with a vampire! Those two are really in love and I read all the books as many times as I can and I really _**really**_ like to _have a…sparkling boyfriend…"_

"Oh **COME ON**, Ukraine! There are a _**lot**_ better books out there!" Alfred pointed out. "You want me to give them to you? They're a lot better!"

"No, of course not!" Irunya pointed out. "I love Twilight, and there is nothing you can do to prevent me from loving it more!"

"If I may say this, I am also a Twi-Hard." Natalya rose to her feet.

"…what."

"You are serious, Natalya?" Francis was shocked. "You would really read a book as horrible as that?"

"The book is not horrible, Francis. Besides, _**what relationship can be better than one where one side of the relationship loves the other with all their heart and demands to marry marry marry marry marry marry marry marry marry marry marry-"**_

For some reason, half the nations started looking at Ivan at that point.

"Now, now…we have to get back to the matter at hand." Ludwig started rubbing his temples. _Damn __Twilight__._ "Roderich, may you continue?"

"O-of course…"

"Wait. I have a proposal." A hand shot up in the air. "I know how to make the entire situation better."

"W-what?" Ludwig sighed. _Charice? Really?_

"Um…sure." Roderich blinked. "Speak your mind."

"All right."

"So…what makes this problem better?"

"Shirtless German werewolves."

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"That is all."

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"_**GAAAAAH! Rizal, wake up!"**_

"Ne~~~he's losing a lot of blood, da?"


	79. Previewing a Musical

"Charice."

"Yeah, kuya?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm casting a spell, of course!"

"Charice, in order to cast a spell, you should be concentrating your thoughts in a given area, perfectly still, muttering the words to yourself…not walking down a pathway toward the meeting hall. Besides, what are you casting spells for, anyway?"

"Entertainment purposes."

"…what."

"_**By the power within me, this is my call…crank up the tune like it's a musical!"**_

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"I really hope that this spell doesn't work."

"Awww…why not?"

"Because the last time you did something like this, I almost got alcohol poisoning."

"That was your fault."

"I only drink when I want to forget something, Charice."

"Like you ever forget anything when you drink."

"_It helps…"_

**/=+=/**

The two of them walked into the meeting hall, surprised that it was oddly quiet concerning the fact that the majority of the nations were already at the meeting _(at least, he hoped they were)_. Charice was chirping the entire time about what she was going to talk to Yong Soo about when they noticed that there were voices behind them.

"Eh?" He turned his head. "Oh, it's just Berwald."

"Ah~! It's Tino too!" She chirped. "Tino-chaaaan!"

**/= ["I'll Cover You" from RENT] =/**

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"_Oh shit it worked."_

"_**OH SHIT IT WORKED!"**_ Charice turned to Rizal. "We have to go to the meeting now!"

"_Someone help me…"_

**/=+=/**

Despite the fact that the beginning act was something that Rizal would call acid-drinking worthy, he was thankfully surprised when he saw that there was not a single soul that was inside the meeting hall. Most likely everyone had realized the same thing that they had and decided that they were going to spend the day singing emo musical songs in their living rooms. His heart panged with guilt over the thought of Ludwig singing about loneliness again.

"So…there's no meeting today?" She blinked.

"I can't help but be glad for that."

"Oh come on! You wanted to hear them sing too! I just know it!"

"I also know that there are people out there who think they can sing when really they suck horribly."

"…why are you looking at me when you say that?"

"I'm rubbing in a point."

"But seriously, I was curious about how they are able to sing…" Charice waved her hands. "I see Feliciano as this weird soprano thing."

"…really."

"Yeah! His voice is really high, so…"

"…I guess…" He shrugged. He wasn't interested.

"…unless you're thinking about Ludwig and his opera-esque voice."

Oops.

"W-what?"

"Please! All deep voices like his always get the awesome tenor singing voice!" Charice chuckled. "That's just how epic they are."

"…sure…" He was thinking about it.

He took a deep breath and decided that he might as well think about it when he felt the ground shake from underneath the floor. He blinked for a few minutes before looking up and realizing that there was smoke coming out of the newly-created rug.

**/= ["La Vie Boheme" by RENT] =/**

Oh God no why.

**/=+=/**

Rizal began to wonder how he was going to drown himself as Charice decided to join them in their musical singing glory. Still, he was grateful enough that Gilbert was holding back on his singing part _(half of the time…actually just an eighth of the time)_ and all of the singing was done by people who could actually sing. Once the bidding was over, he decided to do the only thing he could do.

"Ve~~why are you burying yourself in papers, Rizal?"

"_Because that's all I can do now shut up and let me die in peace…"_

"VEEEEE! PLEASE DON'T DIE, RIZAL!"

_Oh good Christ._

Before he knew it, he heard a door slam open and he turned his head to see that there was a figure at the door. He slapped his face and wanted to kill himself: it was Nazi Germany_ (Rizal decided to name him "Axel" to save himself some glory)_, wearing his traditional outfit and grinning at all of the pretty ladies in the room. Unfortunately he was glaring at Israel, a move that made America tense.

"Am I hearing a _**musical**_ around here?"

"_And this is why I didn't want this."_ Rizal mumbled.

"Yeah!" Feliciano clapped his hands. "Join the fun, Ludwig!"

"Oh…why not?"

**/= ["Today 4 U" by RENT] =/**

And before he knew it, Rizal was face-to-face with a cross-dressing Feliks and was handing out what looked like cookies to everyone. He couldn't help but take a bite from it: it was chocolate. OK, not bad. From the corner of his eye, he could hear someone whining to himself.

**/=+=/**

"Glad that you decided to talk to me, Rizal."

"That's because everyone else is going to talk to you first. I decided that I might as well be first."

"Good enough, Rizal. If we met earlier, we would've been great allies."

"Says the man whose ally took over my sister."

Axel turned his head toward Rizal, his grin not helping the rather bad shiver down his spine. This was the man who would kill people without even thinking twice about it, almost like Antonio back in the day. The fact that he wasn't trying to strangle him right now meant that Ludwig was still somewhat in control.

"Why the hell are you out, Axel?"

"Oh, is that your name for me? I like it. Sounds badass, really…" He grinned. _**"Flaming,**_ actually."

"I call you that because you're not Ludwig, but I'm nice enough to assume that you're just someone else in an occupied body."

"Hah…Ludwig was right. You Filipinos are too nice…easy to take over, really."

"Give up already. You can't make another dictatorship in this day and age." Rizal folded his arms. "Take one step and there'll be five nations down your back the hour after."

"Says you. In this day and age, yes. But you have neglected something that we all have…_**time."**_ Axel grinned. "One day, your nations will be weak…and I will come back."

"Don't tell me you're here just to warn us of that."

They both turned their heads to see that Roderich was behind them, a stern look on his face and from what he could see he was packing heat. Axel could only grin for a few minutes and stare at the rather pathetic nation as he stepped in front of Rizal.

"We know the warning is up there. You don't have to tell us."

"Oh, come on. You're not telling me that you don't trust me in existence, do you? We're friends, right?"

"I'm friends with Ludwig…not you. What did Rizal call you, Axel?"

"You don't have to be so pushy about it." Axel sighed. "I just wanted leg room and singing."

"I'll make sure that's what you need." Roderich turned to Rizal. "You go back to the meeting hall."

"Um…sure…"

**/=+=/**

**I have a strange spiritual mentality when it comes to multiple personalities. I see it as more than one human soul in a single mortal body, reacting to outside influences differently and forming different personalities in doing so. In this case, Germany and Nazi Germany are two different people. Weird headcanon, really.**


	80. Genderbent Mind Rape

**Have fun trying to guess all this, kiddies~**

**/=+=/**

"_**HELL YEAH!**_ Izzy's back in the house, tsu po!"

That yelling was all she needed to wake up and realize that the spell had relapsed and that she was now a female all over again. She groaned and held her head, grateful that she had opted to wear a T-shirt the night before. She sat up and saw herself in the mirror, at her now perky chest and the long silky hair resting against her shoulders.

"_I hate being Susan…"_ She sighed, standing up. "You having fun there, kuya?"

"_**HELL YEAH I AM!"**_ He barged out of the door. "That means I can hang out with my babes today!"

"…what."

"My harem, remember? Of all my female subordinates, tsu po~?"

"Sometimes, you can be worse than France."

"Oh please! I ain't no pervert, tsu po! I just _**love**_ me some women!"

_Fantastic._

**/=+=/**

Nonetheless, Izzy was a chirpy little bee when the two of them headed to the meeting hall that day. Susan mumbled something to herself as he went to the door and threw it open, the door banging onto the side like it could break down the entire building.

"_**HEY YO, WHERE'RE MY BITCHES AT?"**_

"They're not going to answer you if you call them that, you know."

"Well, what if I say it in a nicer way? _Like a whisper?"_

"Then Lovino will want to kill you."

"Ohhh…who else is here?"

"The G8…with China and Spain." She cringed at that name. "So your harem will be _**small scale**_ today."

"At least I have one! _**Felicia, baby! Let me show you how a **__**REAL**__** knight woos a lady!"**_

_And to think that as a woman, she's a GerIta shipper to the grave._ Susan wanted this day to end. Soon. Now would be nice.

It was then that they realized that there was screaming from inside the building. They stopped for a minute and looked up, seeing a usual argument between France and England as they went to the meeting hall. The only weird problem was…**they were both still men.**

_So Arthur cast a spell that only affected the two of us?_ She sighed. _Well, granted we were lucky enough the last few times to miss his spells, so I guess it was about time._ She listened in.

"I can't believe you would do a spell like this! Now I'm stuck having to run the world in _**your**_ dirty body!"

"Hey, I didn't cast a spell at all! And even if I did, I wouldn't do it so that I would be stuck in you, bloody frog!"

"…though…I wouldn't mind taking a better look at what I'm stuck with…"

"_**DO THAT AND YOU DIE!"**_

Susan stared at the both of them as they crashed their way onto the second level, and she was rather perplexed. Their speech patterns were quite different than what they originally were. For one thing, Francis had an English accent. And since when did he use the word "frog" at _**Arthur?**_

"…Izzy-"

"_**NOOOOOOOO MY **__**HAAARRREEEEMMM!**_ Man, this day sucks! Here I'm in the body of a man and I can't even get a date now!"

_What the hell._

**/=+=/**

Susan was forced to comfort her grieving brother as they headed toward the meeting hall, her not hearing the end of the boy's train wreck of emotions shooting out of his mouth. She didn't mind it at this point; there was a bigger mystery she had to touch upon _(__alone__, with what Izzy's going through)_.

_It's definite that Arthur casted another spell…now what did it do?_ She rubbed her chin. _Whatever it was, it had a different effect on the both of us…_

"NO! _**NO!**_ Don't talk to me like that again, you ass!"

The two of them looked up and saw Feliciano storming out of the door and charging right toward them. He bumped right into Susan, making the both of them jump in confusion. She stared at the man, seeing that there was a strange glare in the back of his irises.

"What the hell? The spell just got you genderbent?" Feliciano spat.

"…yes…?" Susan blinked. _Who the heck is this…? It can't be Feliciano…_

"Heeeey, Lovi-chan! Why are you dressing up like Feliciano?"

She darted her head toward Izzy, who was laughing at a rather peeved off Feliciano…or is it Lovino? For some reason, Izzy's a lot better in trying to figure out who's who. After a few minutes, a rather terrified Ludwig ran after Feliciano, who was now rather peeved at the fact he followed. One thing caught Susan off: he had a curl in his hair…

"F-fratello…please…"

"_**NO!**_ SCREW YOU, SCREW HIM, _**SCREW THE FREAKING WORLD!**__**"**_ Feliciano screamed. "The fact that you're stuck in…him makes this entire thing worse!"

_Stuck in…?_ Susan stared at him in confusion.

"Dude, calm down! No need to be yelling at your brother like that!" Izzy looked to Ludwig. "Yo, Feli-chan! Being harassed by your brother again?"

"…ve…more like everyone else…"

"Wooow, everyone's deciding to be a total ass to you. That's horrible." He laughed. "Sooo…who started it? He gets the biggest hook to the jaw!"

"Um…Izzy?"

"Yeah ate?"

"…are you _**seeing**_ the same thing I am?"

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"**HOLY CRAP ****FELI-CHAN**_**WHY THE HELL ARE YOU IN LUDWIG'S BODY?"**_

_Oh good Christ._

**/=+=/**

The meeting hall wasn't any better on any standards. Susan was too busy seeing Francis and Arthur complaining about the fact that they were stuck in each other's bodies, while Alfred and Kiku were the only ones mildly intrigued by what was going on. Poor Lovino was turning invisible and Yao was surprised that he wasn't in the first place. And for some reason, Ivan was eating tomatoes.

_This whole meeting is going insane…_ She sighed. "Izzy-"

"My poor Feli-baby! Don't worry, I know it's you in there so don't fear me leaving you tsu po!"

"…t-thank you, Cha- Izzy."

"Cause _**that's**_ what a REAL man does!"

Susan decided that this was a little too much for her and headed into the hallway to clear her mind from the need to strangle anyone. Footsteps echoed behind her, and she turned her head to see Antonio walking toward her, confused by the current form that she was in.

"…Rizal?"

"Not by your standards, bastard. It's Susan now."

"…right, Susan. I remember." He tilted his head. "You're changed too?"

"Since when did you care? You never cared didn't you?"

"Susan-"

"No, _**forget you!"**_ She snapped. "I have to make sure my _**brother**_ isn't doing anything stupid; don't try to follow me!"

She stormed inside with a huff, leaving the Spaniard alone. A few seconds passed before the door opened again, revealing that the German was checking to make sure that he was alright. Antonio looked back up to him, a confused look that wasn't surprised at all.

"I knew he hated him…I just didn't know that it was this bad."

"Did…did she yell at you?"

"Yeah, she did." He answered. "Never knew she could be that mad when it doesn't involve her other half…"

"Ludwig…"

"Don't worry about it, Feli…w-we have a meeting to go to."

**/=+=/**

**Yeah. Rizal accidentally yelled at Ludwig.**

**Oops.**


	81. Life In General Is CRAZY

**Hetalia is basically one "WTF" moment…but there are days that even the ****cast**** can't help but say it.**

**/=+=/**

No one had a clue why the hell they allowed him to do it, but during the meeting in Russia they had allowed Ivan to drive Rizal, his sister and Lovino in his car to the hall. The radio was filled with Russian music that no one could understand, so they were stuck hearing Ivan talk about his day _(which was already terrifying enough)_, but the two in the back was grateful that Rizal was there to translate the Russian and talk back to him. Lovino was already stressing being in the same car with Charice.

The road was heavily covered with snow that day, and no one knew how he was driving in this weather _(the Philippines included)_, but they trusted him with his driving skills and tried not to distract him. They were too terrified to attempt doing so anyway, so no one was thinking about it.

"So, Rizal…do you want to go to that place I showed you last time after the meeting?"

"Yeah, actually. The food there's really good." He turned his head. "Wait, which restaurant are we talking about? The one with the free vodka or the one where I had to throw that guy out the window?"

"That was the same restaurant, and I'm talking about the one with the buffet and the really nice waitress that was hitting on you."

"Oh, that place. Yeah, I don't mind going there. Charice really liked the food I brought her. Isn't that right?"

"_Just…just focus on the road…"_

"OK, da?"

Suddenly, he pressed the brakes, throwing a lot of people in front out of their seats and into a panic mode. Charice and Lovino were about to complain when…this happened.

**/= [youtube. com / watch?v= N_Rg5RxFFQg& context= C399be18ADOEgs ToPDskJtxVF7 FhrJjCkqN DsQ77Ao] =/**

Rizal had to admit that it was rather terrifying to see, but it was nothing compared to the poor little nations in the back. When Ivan finally started driving again, they had started speaking a language that was breaking up into little babbles and then it became nonexistent. He had to look back and see just how pale they got; Charice looked like Gilbert for a minute.

"_**WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT, IVAN?"**_

"Eh? You told me to focus on the road." He answered. "I looked up, I saw the car, and I stopped."

"**Have you ever considered going behind the truck that moved out of the way?"**

"No. The truck wouldn't hit me anyway."

"_**WHAT THE FUCK?"**_

**/=+=/**

The meeting went to hell the day Alfred found out yet another trait of the awesome nation.

"Dude! Guys, check this out!"

Everyone turned their heads to see Alfred smiling at them, his grin wider _(and whiter)_ than ever, almost as if he wanted to show something off. However, nothing was behind him. There were no lights, no smoke machines, no nothing, like a huge debut of something gone horribly wrong. Rizal had no idea what to do, so he shook his head and went with the others in turning back to their duties.

"Oh, come on now. You're not telling me that you're gonna resist a voice such as myself, right?"

That caught Rizal's attention. Did Alfred seriously bring in a human into the meeting hall that wasn't Liara? And why did it sound like Beyonce? Unfortunately, when the guys turned around they only got a glimpse of Alfred lying down on one of the meeting hall tables like he was in the middle of a photo shoot. Of course, Elizabeta and Kiku were more than willing to take the opportunity.

"W-was that…?" Francis seemed sad.

"What, you don't like it?" Said Alfred…_**in Beyonce's voice**_…as he rolled over. "We're nations, aren't we? We can have the fingerprints of any person that lives in our nations, so I figured why not the voices? Not bad, don't you think?"

"…please stop that." Charice shivered. "You're sounding a lot more sexy than I am…and that is scary."

"Awww…fine." Alfred sighed, finally in his normal voice. "But I'm not the only one who's realized this. Matthew did too!"

"…um…" Yong Soo blinked. "N-no Justin Bieber please da ze?"

"Oh, a hell lot better than that!" Alfred jumped to his feet. "Take it away!"

**/= "Hollywood" by Michael Buble =/**

Nonetheless, the fact that the voice was allowing Matthew to speak in a loud voice and wear a leather jacket like that was rather surprising to the nations…the male ones, at least. The females were having too much fun speawing estrogen for the benefit of mankind. Rizal could only watch as the song finally ended and Charice was finally able to tackle-glomp him.

"Daaaaaw, good going, Matthew!"

"_T-thanks…no one's ever heard me sing before…"_ He smiled. _"I'm glad you like it."_

"So…that means that any one of us can impersonate any voice of a person that's living in our boarders?" Kiku asked.

"Well, it only works for me and Matthew, so I'm not really sure if it's going to work with you guys-"

**/= "Spice Up Your Life" by the Spice Girls =/**

And before they knew it, Arthur was bringing out his brothers and singing Spice Girls. While wearing heels. And an English flag dress that was rather terrifying to look at.

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"Just…just what the fuck."

**/=+=/**

It ultimately sucked, but the computers in the Italian meeting hall were glitching that day. Rizal could only hear the people around him sigh as they tried desperately to fix it in any way possible, but to no avail. Even the computer genius that is Kiku didn't have a clue what was going on. Charice was complaining that she couldn't see the yaoi that Elizabeta had posted up.

"Ve?" Feliciano walked into the room. "W-what's wrong, you guys?"

"The computers aren't working." Ludwig sighed. "I was supposed to send my boss an email containing what happened during the meeting."

"Oh. What's the exact problem? It's not coming up?"

"_**Blue screen of deaaatttthhhh…"**_ Alfred started waving his hands around. "It's eeevvviiiillll…"

Feliciano stared at him for a minute before looking at the computer. He tapped Ludwig's shoulder to make him move out of the way, and then started tapping something rapidly into the computer. A few minutes later, he clicked on something and soon the screen was gone. Everyone stared in shock.

"What…just happened?"

"Ve? I cleared the drive." He answered. "It's only a temporary fix though…we'll have to replace the drive with something else. These computers are old."

The whole room went dead silent.

"Um…you know how to fix a computer?"

"Yeah…I had to, because it crashed on me when I was looking up a pasta recipe…" Feliciano went to the next computer. "This can't connect to the Internet…"

"No…" Francis answered. "I found a place to connect, but I haven't found a place to put in a password-"

Five seconds later, Feliciano started typing something in, clicking on a few buttons and then seeing that the Internet had successfully connected with the computer. The whole room sat there in a dead silence as Feliciano turned to them with a light smile on his face, a chuckle under his breath.

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**/=+=/**

**Italy may be dumb, but his nation was filled with many scientists and mathematicians that created the modern day system we have today. It rubs off on him :D**


	82. Hetalia: Another Color

"How are you, Kiku?"

"I'm doing fine, Rizal. Nice to see that you alone have visited."

"Charice is in Italy again, visiting the brothers. I'm supposed to meet up with her later in Germany."

"Oh, I see. I'm assuming that she wants to try hanging out with him and work on that phobia of hers?"

"That's her plan. That's why she's also dragging Feliciano along."

"Knowing Ludwig, he's probably dragging her."

"Yeah, most likely."

Rizal sat alone in the living room while Kiku went to the kitchen to boil some tea. He looked around and didn't see much: a view of the garden next to the house, a TV set next to a small cabinet, and what looked like a katana on top of the cabinet. He stood up and took a glance at it, and couldn't help but feel the blood bubble in his system. He'd seen the insignia on it before.

"You know how a katana is to a samurai."

He turned his head around and saw Kiku standing at the door with a small pot of tea in his hand, holding it so that it wouldn't burn him. It was something Charice never seemed to know how to do.

"In my culture, it holds my soul in its blade. I can't throw it away even though it holds the majority of my demons."

"Aren't there a lot of things that we can't get rid of?"

Rizal stood there and watched Kiku as he went on his knees and started pouring tea for the both of them to drink. He stared at the cup for a few minutes before noticing that the cups were from a different set than what he would usually serve for his guests _(Charice seemed to name all the damn sets he had. If not her, it was Yong Soo)_. It wouldn't bother him that much if it hadn't been for the fact that he'd seen the cups before…

In a millisecond, Kiku lunged up and charged toward Rizal, who blocked him with a single hand. They started fighting in the living room before Rizal finally pinned him to the ground, the cups of tea not even nicked from the flying bodies. The Filipino sighed as he tightened his grip.

"You know I was actually having a normal conversation with Kiku, you bastard."

"Then never mention my blade in front of him. You know how much I enjoy that blade. It's like my second hand."

"And that's why I hate your guts, Akuma."

"You're still calling me that? I thought I told you to call me by my real name."

"…Kazuhiko."

"Thank you."

"Now if you don't _**mind**_, Kazuhiko, I would like to continue my conversation with Kiku."

"Must you be so protective of him?"

"If I don't, my sister will most likely kill me. And then you next."

"…fine. Help me up."

Rizal glared at him for a few minutes before Kazuhiko closed his eyes, and then Rizal finally lifted him up to his feet. He stared at him for a few seconds before seeing that his eyes were slowly opening up, revealing that they were back to their original brown color, which quickly brightened to that of confusion.

"Wh-what in the…? D-did I slip and fall somewhere?"

"Yeah, you did." He lied. "You put the pot down before you passed out, so nothing was spilled."

"That's good…I used the best tea leaves that I have." He smiled. "I never really saw you travel alone, so I figured it was at least a small celebration."

"Gee, thanks Kiku."

**/=+=/**

"Ah…Italy never gets old~"

"Ve~? Nations don't age. I never get old~"

"I mean the landscape, silly!"

"Oh. I know, it's always pretty~"

"Wait…how come half the city is flooded?"

"This is normal Charice! Welcome to Venice!"

She had no idea what to think as Feliciano dragged her to one of the small boats and plopped her right in the middle, talking to the guy at the head of the ship before taking over and piloting her through the canals. He winked at her before singing in Italian, leaving Charice to enjoy the area. The whole place looked utterly beautiful despite the fact that half of it is underwater. She leaned back and watched as people wandered through the narrow streets and into the shops, passing other boats and seeing the couples looking at each other in the eyes and enjoying the landscape. Heck, the sun was shining on them and the whole place looked utterly…beautiful…

"Ve~~~do you like this place, Charice?"

"Yeah…it's beautiful…"

"It's my heart, like how Rome is fratello's! Still, a lot of people like coming here over Rome. Do you think so?"

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"Hee hee…she fell asleep~"

Feliciano parked the boat at another place and sat down, watching Charice sleeping in the boat and soaking in the rays. She looked so innocent when she wasn't hugging the crap out of you or accidentally hurting you. He couldn't help but laugh as he watched her yawn and flip over.

"I never knew that Charice can be cute~" He chuckled. "I wonder why her Cute-Obession thing doesn't work when she looks at a mirror…"

She flipped over again, and he smiled, tying the boat down.

"It's fun watching her sleep like this~" He leaned back. "Ve~~~maybe this is how Ludwig feels when he watches me sleep~"

They sat there for a few minutes before he heard a few footsteps walking toward them. He looked up and saw a few men wearing hoodies and leather jackets walking toward them, smug grins on their faces. That instantly made Feliciano tense and stand up, shaking the boat and making Charice yawn again.

"W-who are you?" He whimpered.

"Don't worry about us, little man." The head of the group stated. "We're just lost."

"V-ve~?"

"We wanted to ask her for directions, so if you don't mind waking her up."

"I-I'm sorry, but she's a tourist. She doesn't know anything about this place." Feliciano forced himself to his feet, walking onto the platform with them. "If you need directions, I'll be more than happy to point you with your location."

It was then that Charice woke up and noticed that there were thugs right in front of a shaking Feliciano. She tried her best not to move just yet; one of the guys seemed to be looking at her and there was a strange grin on his face.

"No no…I like her to."

"But she doesn't know anything!"

It was then that there was one large punch to his face, and he crumbled to the ground. The whole group started laughing as Charice finally started to move. She went to her feet and looked at the five of them, who were now getting a good look at her. One of them looked like he wanted to move toward her.

"W-what did you do to him?"

"Oh, you don't speak Italian?" The main man smiled. "You want me to teach you?"

"I know enough, thank you very much." Charice backed away and headed toward Feliciano's body. "And we should get going."

"Oh, you're not going to stay? Please?"

"No. We're going to leave."

Charice looked up and realized that Feliciano was moving, standing up and glaring at the five of them. Maybe it was the lighting, but for some reason she thought Feliciano looked a lot tanner than usual. He reached for something in his pocket as the five of them finally started to attack him. Her nose started noting that there was blood in the air, and to her surprise the five men crumbled to the ground and Feliciano turned around to drag her away. She was confused; what was going on?

"Hey, Feli…are you alright?"

He didn't say a word, instead continuing to run forward. She turned her head and realized that he did in fact get a tan; it was as if he had gotten darker from fighting the men. What was Feliciano running away from? Or was he just pulling her around?

"Italy?"

He paused and turned around in confusion, allowing her to see his face. His eyes were a strange purple, and there was a smudge of blood at the corner of his lips. She froze at the sight of it, alerting him to wipe it off and try his best to clear it to make him look normal. Italy smiled and turned back to her.

"Is it gone?"

"Um…yeah." She turned her head. "And…you are…?"

"Eh? I'm Italy. I thought you knew me~"

"…the Italy I know doesn't have purple eyes. He has hazel eyes."

"Aww…I wanted to be your hero for a while longer…"

"Hah?"

"What, you don't understand what I just said? I'm not Italy, but I am him."

"…_**hah?"**_

"Pfft…you're funny when confused."

"All right, I'm getting confused. Do you have a human name or something?"

"Of course I do~ Mussolini gave me one when I was born."

"When you were…_**what?"**_

"My name is Valerio, the true Italy." He winked. "The one the world feared going to war with."

"…but you still sucked during the war. At least, from what I heard."

"They were lying. I was totally awesome."

"…you're confusing me, Valerio."

"Feliciano tells me the same thing too. Though we recently made up and got a whole agreement and stuff. Arguing in the head was getting kinda annoying, and he never wanted to fight in the first place."

"What do you mean, _**agreement?"**_

"You know that I always wanted to meet you? From what Feliciano thought of you, you were rather interesting!" Valerio finally let her go. "I can see why he trusts you."

"…so you're a part of him."

"Yeah. Is it that hard for you to figure out?"

"No…I just figured that, well…multiple personalities fight each other for dominance and…stuff."

"Geez, you sound like Luciano. Well yeah, that was me once…during the war and all." Valerio chuckled. "Feliciano didn't want to fight, I had to come along, etc. I was the man Rome wanted me to be. Too bad I didn't end up that way."

"Huh…you sound like you're the real Italy."

"We both are. That's what he said, anyway. Well, after the war, we went with a truce: he spends eternity in real life, I come out and save his ass when the German guy ain't around. And seeing as how he loves hanging out with him, it's a nice change of pace instead of just waiting for something to happen."

"…so you're not going to hurt me." She sat down next to him.

"Are you going to try and kill me?"

"With a bearhug or a knife?"

"I don't mind a bearhug to death, though if you're bringing knives I have one of my own."

"…Valerio."

"Yeah?"

"That's a scalpel."

"So? What's your point?"

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"Don't tell me you're traumatized by _**that."**_

"…is it bad to say yes?"

"Well, don't harm Feliciano and I don't come swinging. Besides, I like you."

"You sound like a mafia gangbanger."

"That's Luciano. And at least me and the real me get along." He rubbed his head. "Geez, how hard did that guy smack him? He's out like a light!"

"But he's alright, right?"

"Oh yeah. No human can take us down…at least, in the conventional way." Valerio grinned. "Speaking of which, are you hungry?"

"Eh?"

"Feliciano was planning on taking you to this really pretty restaurant down the street over there before…this happened, so…want me to lead the way?"

"Uh…sure." She stood up. "Can I ask you something on the way there?"

"Yeah, sure. What's up?"

"…does Ludwig know about you?"

"Probably not." Valerio looked up. "And if he does, he's really good at not telling me. I dunno, Feliciano understands him and I really don't."

"…you don't understand him."

"But Feliciano does- do you _**really**_ like pointing out the obvious?"

"Never talked to an alternate personality before…and never heard of one that could be this nice. I hear Mussolini and I think **Fascist**. I don't think _nice to other nations."_

"Hey, I don't have to push too hard: I'm already awesome as I am now. Now how about that lunch he promised you?"

"As long as you tell him what's going on when he wakes up. Lecturing someone on what they did isn't my strong point."

"That's what I always do."

"Then lead the way."

**/=+=/**

Rizal sighed as he waited patiently outside Charice's hotel room. There was really no reason why she would take so long. She was already up and whatnot, and she's recently had started rushing earlier enough. He watched quietly as the door finally swung open, revealing Charice as she was fixing the corset around her waist.

"Took you long enough." He stated.

"Sorry, sorry…Ludwig here?"

"No, we're meeting him at his hotel. Hey, can you do me a favor and get us an elevator?"

"Okay!"

She ran off downstairs, leaving the door swinging open. Rizal sighed for a few minutes before reaching toward the door to close it. Suddenly, he saw Feliciano push through the door, fixing his shirt and jacket and accidentally ran into Rizal's arm. He yelped and missed a button.

"Veee! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into your arm!"

"Wha-?"

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"Hey, what the hell happened in there? Hey- _**HEY! **_Where are you goi- _**DON'T YOU RUN AWAY FROM ME!"**_

**/=+=/**

To his surprise, Feliciano and Charice weren't telling him what happened, and to their surprise Rizal decided to drop it. The three of them walked in silence toward Ludwig's hotel room, and waited for Rizal to knock on the door. He sighed and looked at the two of them stare at him with cute eyes that for some reason wanted to make him blush. Must be his inner Charice…

"Hey, Ludwig. It's us. You in there?"

The other side was quiet, leaving the three of them to wonder if he was even in there in the first place. Rizal blinked before deciding to knock on the door again. Finally, the door opened up and revealed what looked like the side of Ludwig's face. He was glaring at all of them with such ferocity that Feliciano and Charice ran screaming out of the building. The poor Filipino could only scoff.

"Dammit Axel. We're supposed to meet with _**Ludwig."**_

"What, I'm not allowed to party when I want to?"

Axel grinned as he opened the door to Rizal, revealing that he was shirtless and had an open jacket, a metal cross necklace the only thing on his chest. Unfortunately, the young man couldn't help but stare at it for a few seconds before realizing that Axel was laughing just a little bit.

"You like this, don't you?"

"Uh- hah?"

"A German must always keep his body in tip top shape…there's no warning for when I might need them to achieve a personal goal of mine…"

"I'm sorry, but…are you trying to _**seduce**_ me?"

"I don't swing that way, little man. What makes you think that I am?"

"Well, you're just-"

"_Do you like what you see?"_

Before he knew it, Rizal's chin was lifted up and he was looking at Axel directly in his dark blue eyes. He knew that this bastard was enjoying this way too much, and he was getting rather annoyed as well. Without skipping a beat Rizal slapped his hand away from his chin, making Axel chuckle and shake his wrist.

"I'm guessing you do?"

"Will you stop exploiting Ludwig already? You already had him on the ropes for ten years and you already know how the world thinks about you." Rizal stated. "Does he even know you're out here?"

"He won't stop complaining about it, if that's what you're asking." Axel sighed. "Too bad though…he knows that I need a few minutes of sun."

"Maybe if you cooperated, he'll let you go."

"Why? He's the weaker form of myself. I'm the better Germany, and he knows it. If anything, he _**can't**_ hold me back."

"Don't you _**dare**_ say that about him!"

Rizal blinked, and before he knew it his mind assessed the situation: he had just thrown Axel to the wall in a fit of rage. The other man was rather interested in what he had just done, and quickly fixed his jacket and hair as if he had only tripped and was going to keep up an image.

"If only you were German…you would've been part of the perfect race."

"No one's perfect, Axel. The fact that you're willing to kill the ones that aren't just makes you more of an asshole than normal."

"That's what he said to me when I thought that Feliciano wasn't as perfect as he should've been."

"You were planning on getting _**rid**_ of him?"

"I was planning on…fixing him."

"No wonder he hates you. Now your time on Earth is over; you already chased off Feliciano and he was planning on meeting with him." Rizal glared. "Before I beat Ludwig out of you."

"…so protective of him, aren't you? I'm surprised that _**he**_ hasn't noticed it."

"Someone has to do it, and the only person who has just ran out of the room." Rizal spat. "And remember this: you do anything to me, and the whole world is going to descend on you in a millisecond. You remember what happened the last time."

They started glaring at each other for a few minutes before he noticed that Axel started laughing outloud like an idiot.

"My god, you're hilarious! If only you weren't the prisoner of Kazuhiko during the war…we would've had some great times together. Maybe I would've had a great taste of your blood."

"You're sick."

"Aren't we all? Though I had all the fun that I wanted today. I guess he can have his body back. Though I want him to have a little bit of a surprise when he comes back…"

Rizal stared at him for a few minutes before Axel grabbed his wrists and pinned him to the bed. His super strength was kicking in, and holding the power of half a third-world nation doesn't really seem to help him. He was forced to watch Axel lean in toward his ear and chuckle underneath his breath.

"_I'm going to let you in on a fun little secret…my real name."_

"_Your…what?"_

"_It's __**Heilrich."**_

Rizal froze. Suddenly, he felt the body loosen and shiver before his eyes lightened up and they caught eye contact. His eyes quickly brightened up.

"Um…Ludwig?"

He panicked and threw himself back, realizing that he didn't have a shirt on. The German panicked before he quickly buttoned up his jacket and turned away, obviously embarrassed. Rizal quickly sat up and stared at him.

"Did he…?"

"Hm?"

"Did he do anything to you?"

"If anything, I did something to him. I threw him against the wall."

"That explains why my back hurts a little…" He stared at the Filipino. "How can you handle him so simply?"

"Everyone does, really. The only person who's scared of him is you." Rizal folded his arms. "You're justified, though."

"…thank you."

"For what?"

"Getting him out of me."

"He'll be back, though."

"I'll be more prepared for him. At least I know he's still here…"

It was then that Charice and Feliciano charged into the room holding a huge glass vial of water in their hands. The two of them stared at them before Charice opened the vial and glared at the German.

"This is holy water from the Vatican, you demon! _**BE CLEANSED OF THE FIRES OF HELL!"**_

"What are you- _**GAH! What are you- geez, **_stop throwing water on me- _**GAH!"**_

"P-please leave Doitsu, scary demon!"

"_**I'M ALL RIGHT, GEEZ!"**_

**/=+=/**

"**Kazuhiko" is the name for Imperialist Japan **_**(known as Black Kiku).**_** He has the same personality as Kiku, but is a little more proud and openly heartless, even to his allies. To this day, he still sees the Asian countries as his prisoners, and Kiku doesn't know that he still exists.**

"**Valerio" is the name for Fascist Italy. Fascist is a state of government where everything is done to vitalize the country through times of need. In this case, the country is already highly vitalized so he's portrayed as rather proud of himself to the point of being egotsitic. Kinda like Prussia. Nowadays, though, he knows the times have changed and has made a personal truce with his real self, Feliciano. Out of all the WWII personalities, Valerio is the most trusted one.**

"**Luciano" is the name for Mafia Romano. I might write a chapter about him later.**

"**Axel" is Rizal's given name for Nazi Germany. He's egotistical like Valerio, but unlike him he's rather brash and highly racist **_**(especially towards Jews)**_** and doesn't want to change with the times. He's highly flamboyant and likes the media, but is completely straight. Ludwig is terrified of him, and never wishes to let him out.**


	83. Endless Voice Actor Jokes

**Remember kids: Voice Actor Jokes are good material to abuse here!**

**/=+=/**

Rizal and Charice was going with their boss to America for diplomatic issues and stuff, and to their surprise they were heading to something that Alfred kept calling "Silicon Valley" _(according to the research, it was actually part of California and it's where all American electronic chips come from?)_. The poor boy had no idea what to expect anymore.

"Why are we meeting up with him here?" He asked.

"I dunno. He mentioned something about showing off this new toy that he made…something that he said puts Kiku's machines to shame." Charice waved her hand. "Whatever that means."

"I have no idea how that's going to be done. Kiku has better ideas when it comes to stuff like this." Rizal sighed while admitting.

"You don't know that. Alfred has Apple, of course."

"Yeah, but he never seems to eat it."

"No, I don't mean _**an**_ apple! I mean the company!"

"And that, my dear sister, is showing off how strange Americans are when it comes to naming things."

Rizal stared at her for a few minutes before noticing that there is a shadow hovering over their heads. He blinked for a few minutes before hearing a gigantic machine crash in front of them. The both of them stared at the machine in front of them _(which sort of looked like mechanical spiders)_ before hearing a familiar laugh from the neck of the machine.

_Oh god, it's Alfred._ He looked at it.

"Soooo, what do you think of my new machine? Ain't it awesome?" He laughed.

"Um…" Charice blinked, staring at it. "Did you actually _**build**_ this _**yourself?**__**"**_

"Why not? It's my pride and joy~"

"…_he can build things?"_

"_First time I'm hearing this too."_ Rizal stared at it. "What is it supposed to do…?"

"Duh! This, my friends, is the ultimate drilling machine!"

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"Not making a gay joke."

"Hey, Alfred…I thought your boss was trying to get _**away**_ from the whole 'crude oil' issue."

"No no no, you're getting it all wrong, Rizal!" He pointed to the heavens _(and OMG, where is his shirt?)_. "This machine's drill will _**pierce the heavens!"**_

"…causing a gigantic riff in the barrier between heaven and hell and hence starting the apocalypse on Earth while God and Satan send their troops out on this planet to fight for humanity."

"Geez, so dark Rizal!"

"_**Someone**_ had to say it."

It was then that they started hearing moans and groans from the machine Alfred was on. It started spinning his head around and screaming something in binary _(at least, it's probably binary)_ before seeing the machine jump around with the drills in its hand and looking at them with interest.

_**((PIERCE THE HEAVENS…PIERCE…HEAVENS…))**_

"Oh shit I think it wants to kill us."

**America **_**(Katsuyuki Konishi)**_** = Kamina **_**(Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann)**_** + Komui Lee **_**(D. Gray Man)**_

**/=+=/**

"So you went to the marketplace?"

"Yeah!"

"…for…what? You don't have to cook anything while we're in a business meeting with Italy."

"Just because me and Va- Feli-chan wanted to wander around Venice, of course!"

"…O…kay…" Rizal blinked. "Sooo…what did you do in the marketplace?"

"We hung around the fruit vendors and I watched Va- Feliciano hit on all the women."

"That's an Italian thing…must've gotten it from Francis…"

"The thing is, though…we passed this fish vendor guy area thing, and **he would not leave us alone."**

"Fish vendor? What did he do to you?"

"He kept trying to sell me these mackerel pieces, even though I had nothing to pay him with! Seriously, he was this crazy ass freaky fish guy with the eye patch and the-"

"_**I AM NOT A FREAKY FISH GUY!"**_

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"Feli, what the hell was that?"

"I-I don't know, Charice…i-it just came out."

"You are seriously demented, Feliciano. You need to stop hanging out with Charice."

"_**NUUUUUUUUUU-"**_

**Italy Veneziano **_**(Daisuke Namikawa)**_** = Ryota Kajiki/Mako Tsunami **_**(Yu-Gi-Oh!)**_

**/=+=/**

Charice stared at Lovino for a few minutes as he was staring at a piece of paper in his hand. He stared at it like he was trying to study for a test before he threw the paper on the ground, mumbling Italian to himself before going deeper into the kitchen like a man possessed.

"You making us lunch today, Lovi-chan?"

"_I'm going to be equal with mi fratello…I'm going to be able to cook just like he can."_

"Hey, you're Italian! You're going to figure out how to cook better than him!" Charice laughed. "Sooo…you got a secret ingredient or something?"

"Ohhhh…I got something so much better than that…"

"Oh you do, do you?" She grinned. "Fireworks? Your own harem parade?"

"Even _**better."**_

And that's when he pulled out an entire box of dynamite, cackling the entire time.

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"Um…I'm not my brother or anything, but I'm seriously thinking that you're going to be the death of the both of us."

**Italy Romano **_**(Ian Sinclair)**_** = Bardroy **_**(Black Butler)**_

**/=+=/**

Rizal sat in Heracles' living room as he heard his sister talk politics with him in the other room. She insisted that she was going to be the one getting the treaty out of him _(trying to use her relations with Kiku to get some good stuff out of him)_, and wanted Rizal to stay out only for a last resort. He sighed and looked around the living room, noticing that the place looked rather nice.

_How strange…his country is rather poor and yet his house is rather nice and decorated._ He leaned back. _Paintings that must be priceless, expensive furniture, and it looks like he even redid the house…_ "How'd he afford the place?"

He sighed as he started looking around and noticing that there was a TV there. Rizal sighed as he reached for the remote and turned it on, listening to the Greek television that was on. After a few minutes he saw a local news channel talking about the usual stuff: the economic standing between all of the European nations among a few other things. That's when he heard something interesting.

**[[In other news, the mysterious thief of the night had struck again. Police are still trying to find the identity of this man, who had been stealing precious artworks and artifacts from local museums and leaving nothing but a strange calling card with a cross on it. Here's Aegea with the latest.]]**

Rizal stared at the information for a few minutes before a strange picture came up, supposedly of the thief. He stared at it for a few minutes before tilting his head.

"…noooo."

He turned his head, noticing that Heracles and Charice were taking a break from the government talks and were now heading back to the kitchen to have something to eat. He turned back to the TV…then to Heracles…then to the TV…not understanding what was going on.

**Greece **_**(Vic Mignogna)**_** = Dark Mousey **_**(DN Angel)**_

**/=+=/**

The meeting was going on rather well…at least, Rizal wanted to assume so. First off, Ivan was oddly twitchy for some reason, and secondly Vash and Erika were gathering around Irunya like she was their mother…and she was playing along rather too well, if you asked him. Vash himself was saying that he'll protect the family with or without Father's help…whatever that means. Even Yao was getting rather troubled.

"I never saw Vash be so happy with another woman, aru."

"I know, right? Maybe he's trying to open up his boarders to everyone." Rizal shrugged. "Maybe he's drunk."

"Wish I knew, aru…" Yao looked around. "Everyone's been rather weird lately."

"You don't have to tell me that-"

"_**DAMN RAT!"**_

Before he knew it, Ivan had pulled out a gun and stared shooting at what looked like a rat scurrying on the ground. The whole meeting hall started screaming in a panic and ducking to walls as Ivan kept shooting at anything at this point, finally calming down when he didn't see the rat anymore…or anyone for that matter. He panicked.

"U-uh…w-what just happened?"

"You shot at a rat." Rizal answered, eating a bag of Boy Bawang Cornick. "This is an old building, so I'm guessing there's some form of pest control."

"Oh…well, rats are common in my houses…it's sort of cold…" Ivan blinked. "Where is everyone?"

"Give them a few hours; they'll be back. You want some corn?"

**Ukraine **_**(Lydia Mackay) **_**= Trisha Elric **_**(Fullmetal Alchemist)**_

**Switzerland **_**(Romi Park)**_** = Edward Elric **_**(Fullmetal Alchemist)**_

**Liechtenstein **_**(Rie Kugimiya)**_** = Alphonse Elric **_**(Fullmetal Alchemist)**_

**Russia _(Jerry Jewell)_ = Kyo Sohma _(Fruits Basket)_**

**/=+=/**

No one could stop laughing at Ludwig during the entire meeting. He had no idea what they were laughing at; they had no idea when they were going to stop laughing. Worst part was that Ludwig did everything perfectly normal. He made sure he wasn't dressed funny and had all the documents needed for the presentation. So why was no one taking him seriously?

"Now will everyone please calm down-?"

"_**OH GOD I think my lungs **__exploded…"_ Alfred fell out of his chair.

"America, what in the world is wrong with you-?"

"_**DAMMIT potato bastard**_ I knew you were demented in the head but I never thought it'd catch up to you! _**Bwahahahahahaha!"**_

"What the hell is everyone laughing at?"

"Ve~~~L-Ludwig?"

"…what is it?"

"W-why do you have an Indian accent?"

**Germany **_**(Hiroki Yasumoto/Patrick Seitz)**_** = Agni **_**(Black Butler)**_

**/=+=/**

**And the voice actor jokes run even farther. This is in case I didn't explore it in my inserts fan fic or I just thought it'd be nice to write a couple of shorts.**


	84. Hong Kong and a Few Other Things

"Awesome! I love your songs, Kiku!"

"T-thank you, Charice. I'm flattered."

"Please, don't be! Just take the compliment!"

Poor Li Xiao had no idea how to comprehend this situation. Charice was totally enjoying Kiku's character song yet again, even though she just recently gotten over Feliciano's…again. He sat down at the lobby desk wondering what made Kiku able to get close to Charice like that, even if Rizal didn't like their history together. He was nicer to the both of them…

"Ce que…I never saw you lost in your thoughts before…perhaps your age is catching up to you?"

"Eh?" He looked up. "Oh, Francis."

"What are you thinking about? I've never see you confused before."

"It's just Charice."

"Oooooh…never thought of you as a woman-chaser."

"I'm not. I've just been wondering why she's fawning over that one song that Kiku sang a while back."

"The Filipinos love their music. She did the same for me for a while when I sang…didn't last long, though, unfortunately…"

"Really?"

"Try your hand in singing. Perhaps Charice will give you more attention that way."

That was when he got it. He quickly stood up and bowed toward him, immediately heading toward his bag to find a pad of paper and a working pencil to write out his plan. He was going to make a better song than Kiku. No way is he going to be blown off by a Japanese man. Kiku's not the only one who has his honor on the line.

Days turned into weeks…turned into months…and soon a few years had passed…but he finally had his song.

Maji Kandou…Hong Kong Night.

**/=+=/**

"Eh? You did what?"

"Yeah. I got bored with teacher having two songs that are showing him off, so I decided to make one myself aru."

"Really? Wow, I want to listen!"

He nodded in anticipation, handing over his mp3 player so that she can have a listen. Charice quickly placed on her headphones and started listening to the song, and to his surprise she was humming a few tunes to herself _(a good sign, he hoped)_. Li Xiao watched for a few minutes before realizing that she had stopped listening.

"This…this is totally awesome."

"Um…thanks." He answered blankly _(though was a little relieved)_. "I had a hard time writing lyrics."

"Everyone does…and these actually work for your favor."

"Thank you." He smiled. _Take that, Kiku._

"This is _**sweet!**_ Now you have a character song!"

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"Aru?"

"I've been trying to get everyone to have a character song, but it's so hard to get people to cooperate! I mean, Toris doesn't like to sing after the last time, Feliks doesn't want to cooperate…I barely got Lin Yi to get a song, but she's not going to do it for another month! Sweet, one more person to cross off the list!"

_Why do I feel like I'm being used?_

**/=+=/**

**Yes, Hong Kong has a character song! It's called Maji Kandou and is currently on YouTube as we speak! Next month, Taiwan is going to have a character song, and later this month Belgium and the Netherlands are going to have their own versions of Hatafutte Parade. Please look forward to them!**

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**Wow, this is short.**

**Well, I'm not going to end it there then. How about I show you something I found out a few days ago?**

**/=+=/**

The meeting in Austria was starting off pretty normal. Charice wasn't having German-phobia breakdowns, Arthur and Francis were fighting as always, Alfred was shoving hamburgers in people's mouths, day as always. Rizal even noticed that Roderich had taken a break from his musical hobbies to actually work at a meeting. That must be a homeland thing.

"All right then…now that everyone is here, we can start off with the meeting concerning global warming and the economy."

"W-wait!" Feliciano panicked. "Ludwig isn't here yet!"

"Eh? That's weird." Alfred started chewing on his tenth hamburger. "He's always on time during things like this…"

"…oh dear…" Roderich held his head. "I think I know where he is."

The Austrian stood up and headed out of the room, tempting the others to follow him. A few rounding of corners later, they could hear piano music playing in the air…almost as soothing as how Roderich would play it. Everyone suddenly got confused. Who plays like that nowadays who _**isn't**_ Roderich…?

"…Yao Ming?"

"I'm pretty sure he's retired."

"…nooooo…?"

Roderich finally opened up the door, revealing that there was someone that clearly looked like Roderich playing his music at the piano. He certainly had the long, blue jacket, the black pants, the buttoned shirt…the small hat on his head-what? And why was this guy blond?

"This is why I don't like having meetings here…" Roderich sighed. "This usually happens to Ludwig for no reason."

"…seriously?"

"He loves playing Chopin when he comes to my place during the meeting…this started fairly recently, and I have no idea where it came from."

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Charice ran screaming out of the building.

**Germany **_**(Patrick Seitz)**_** = Frederick Chopin **_**(Eternal Sonata)**_


	85. Something Minds Cannot Comprehend

**Insert your confusion here.**

**/=+=/**

"Hey, Lovino."

"Che…what is it, Rizal? You're not hiding from your bastard sister in my house."

"I'm not going to hide in your house…but I was going to ask you a few questions about it."

"What about it?"

"Do you go to the Vatican often?"

"Sometimes, when I want to pray about- OK, what is this about?"

"So…what do you think about the Pope?"

"Pope Benedict? He's…an OK pope…better than the other ones that we had a long time ago. I like him."

"Um…dude?"

"What?"

"You _**do**_ realize that Pope Benedict is a German, right?"

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"_**FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-"**_

**/=+=/**

Charice and Alfred had no idea what the heck was going on with the other Asian nations. For some reason, Yao and Lin Yi were arguing about the whole "Jeremy Lin" and the _Lin-sanity_ that's going around the world and were talking about where he originated.

"Why are they arguing about this again?"

"Because his parents are immigrants." Charice answered. "Taiwanese immigrants, I think."

"But…Lin's _**American.**_ He was born in my house. You have Manny Pacquiao and I'm not claiming him even though he's famous here."

"You sound like that when you wanted to deny Justin Bi-"

"_**Don't mention his name in front of me."**_

**/=+=/**

"I just noticed something."

"What is it, ate?"

"Is it just me, or does Ludwig really act weird around the sixth of August?"

"No…" Rizal started rubbing his chin. "Then again, he doesn't really like going to meetings on that date…"

"So why are we meeting in his country?"

"I have no idea."

The two of them stared at each other for a few minutes before walking toward the meeting hall in Germany. For some reason, everyone was walking in dead quiet and were too terrified to start opening doors, making the ever-oblivious Rizal do all the opening for them.

"OK, am I missing something here?" Rizal turned around. "What are all these people scared about?"

"I dunno, da ze." Yong Soo lifted his hands behind his head. "Maybe this is the day that his boss keeps away his beer?"

"Ludwig can hold back his drinking."

"Says Arthur, and guess what's working with him."

"**I do **_**NOT**_** have a drinking problem, bloody git!"**

"_Suuuuuuure you don't."_

Rizal could only shrug as Yong Soo lifted up the next door to the meeting room. Instantly, everyone froze in place, making the both of them turn around to see what the problem is. Before them was a man covered in black armor and wielding a rather massive sword in his hands. Rizal could only back up and hold his hands in a fighting stance.

"_**I must be complete…"**_

"Hah?"

"_**To that end…I will take as many souls as I need…"**_

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And then he started swinging the sword around.

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"_**And you wonder why I'm **__**terrified**__** of him, kuya!"**_

**Germany **_**(Patrick Seitz)**_** = Nightmare **_**(Soul Calibur V)**_

**/=+=/**

If there was anything else beside Doctor Who that Arthur is a major fan of, it would be Harry Potter. Seeing as how he was a magical individual himself, he was not surprised about it whatsoever. If he wasn't talking about time travel, he was surely talking about how to cast a spell properly.

"You _**really**_ seem to like talking about this, don't you?" Charice blinked.

"It's a part of who I am. Wizards such as myself-"

"_Seriously?"_

"-are rare, and I only know of three of us." Arthur smiled. "And as far as I know, we are the only magic users in the magic world."

"Eh? Arthur, have you been reading your books at all?"

Everyone turned their heads to see Antonio out of all people reading one of the Harry Potter books. He placed it down next to him and stood up, wondering what was going on with the others with the most confused look on his face.

"Yes I have! I read all of them!"

"Do you remember the fourth book?"

"The Goblet of Fire, yes."

"Don't you remember that there were two other magical schools besides Hogwarts that were in existence?"

"…um…"

"One of them existed in Southern France, I believe. And the second one seemed to be around Sweden or Norway, but…correct me if I'm wrong…weren't most of the students Russian? Or Bulgarian?"

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"We're bloody screwed, aren't we?"

**/=+=/**

**OK, you know how in ****Harry Potter**** there was Hogwarts, right? Now, in the fourth book and movie of the series, there was the Tri-Wizard tournament that Hogwarts was going to host that year. Two other schools were attending there as well: the Beauxbatons and the Durmstrangs. The Beauxbatons were located in Southern France and are described as beautiful individuals that love classy things and have great food in the castle **_**(sound familiar?)**_**. The Durmstrangs were supposedly between Sweden and Norway, but their outfits look oddly Russian. This school focuses on teaching students the Dark Arts so that they can be Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers or something like that, and they don't like muggles.**

**So basically when I had Francis learning magical spells in ****Persona Powers****, I am justified because of that fact!**

_**HA!**_

**In other news, I always thought the Japanese voice actor for South Korea **_**(if he'll ever get one)**_** would be the one who did the voice of Naruto. I don't know why.**


	86. Best Friends Forever

**So how did Rizal and Ivan become friends, you ask? Well…long story.**

**/=+=/**

It was snowing the moment Rizal landed in the frosted nation.

Alfred had mentioned that this was the last of the big nations that he and Charice were going to meet, and he stated with slight doubt in his voice that they might as well meet him in his home country. While Charice was working on her physical image so that she could make a good impression on the nation, Rizal found himself reading up on this man's history. Their lands were rather close to each other…closer than Spain and Alfred were.

_So a man that was Communist and beat the Nazis all on his own…_ For some reason, he never really wanted to say "Germans". Not all Germans were Nazis, and not all Nazis are German. _Well, I guess Charice is going to be a little scared of him._

"Brr…this place is cold." Charice shivered, tightening her jacket. "Here I thought Finland was bad…"

"It's just the snow, ate. Don't worry about it." Rizal answered, fixing his jacket. "On the bright side, I heard that it makes the nights brighter."

"Oh _**really?"**_

"Hey, you two! Hurry up before the cab leaves you!"

Rizal quickly pushed Charice to Alfred as he continued to push her into the car. The cab pulled away quickly as Alfred started telling the cab where to go. He knew he was talking in Russian, but for some reason Charice seemed infatuated by the fact that she was hearing a language for the first time. _Love to see her finding out Vietnamese._

"So…" Charice turned to Alfred. "What city are we in?"

"Moscow, the capital of Russia." Alfred answered, pointing at the buildings. "And here's the square."

"Uh…" She pointed at one of the buildings. "Which one's that?"

"I think that's a cathedral, Charice." Rizal looked at it. "Saint Basil's Cathedral…yeah, that's it."

"Huh…that looks rather out of place, if you ask me…"

"Charice?"

"Think about it…it looks…it looks…"

"…colorful?"

"_**Arabic."**_

"OK, you lost me."

"You know…the dome thingy on top of the pillars…kinda look like the Taj Mahal…"

"…Alfred, do us a favor and don't translate this to the cab driver." Rizal sighed. "She's too dumb to figure it out."

"Granted."

**/=+=/**

The meeting hall was rather grand in its old image than the times they went to America. If anything, Rizal would've assumed it was taller than that. Whatever. The both of them were led into the building and into the room where all the nations were in, fighting and bashing each other as usual. He couldn't help but wonder who this Russia guy was.

_Maybe it's that tall guy over there…_

Rizal's eyes wandered a bit until they saw a figure sitting at a table patiently like a little child. He had a long scarf that dripped over the table, and he seemed content with watching everyone go about their business, from Arthur and Francis to having an argument to Charice glomping Feliciano for the-

"Oh dear god _**Charice get off him."**_

"_**NEVAAAAAAAA!**__**"**_

It took fifteen people to get Feliciano to start breathing again. Afterwards, she was banned from sitting next to him during the meeting. Rizal sighed as he sat down next to who he assumed was Russia, drinking the water that was provided for him as the others tried to calm down the rising quarrel. He couldn't help but look at the man next to him, realizing that he was staring back at him as well.

"…so you're Russia."

"And you are…?"

"I'm the Inner Islands of the Philippines…and despite what that means, I'm the millions of islands that aren't part of the main three islands and the capital city Manila."

"That sounds complicated."

"You have no idea. I'm guessing you're just one mass."

"That's how Russia is, yes." He chuckled. "B-but I prefer Ivan."

"And I prefer Rizal."

"Rizal…that name sounds familiar…"

"?"

"Oh, I read about him! Isn't he your national hero or something?"

"He's my father."

"Eh?" Ivan stared at him. "I never heard of a human bloodline giving birth to a personification."

"No, he's not my biological father." Rizal stared at him in confusion. "He was the one who raised me."

"Eh? A human raised you? I haven't heard of that before?"

"What, a nation being raised by humans? Surely one of the older nations must have done so."

"Well, no one really wants to talk about it."

"And you?"

"…I don't want to talk about it."

"…all right…oh, one more thing."

"Ne?"

"Tell creepy-stalker-girl over there to take a seat already."

"Eh-_**uwaaaa!"**_

**/=+=/**

Ivan really was as weird as Alfred said he was. Half the time he was talking was sadistic comments and the other half was…well, clingy? Sexually innuated? What would Charice call it? If Rizal had a choice of words, it would be _"possessor of the marriage certificate",_ but what does he know? _(What the hell can you call __**"become one with me"**__, anyway?)_

During the break, he decided to go to the bathroom. It was nearby and straightforward _(then again, this is a government building)_, hence he knew what everyone does even though it's written in Russian. Rizal seriously wondered if he should start learning how to read Cyrillic script…

"_U-uh…is anyone here?"_

"Eh? Just me." Rizal blinked before wondering why someone's speaking English in Russia. "Alfred, is that you?"

"_N-no…"_

"Oh. Well, I'm here…at least, I'm sure I'm the only one."

"_O-Ok…"_

Now the voice sounded familiar. "Your stalker isn't in here."

"T-thank you."

The door opened slowly, revealing that it was indeed Ivan. He quickly went to one of the urinals, being rather cautious before actually using it. All Rizal could do was stare at him for a few minutes before deciding that he might as well not question the art of illegal stalking and harassment charges.

"So…who is that girl?"

"Um…that's my sister, Natalya. Belarus."

"Seriously? Your sister stalks you?"

"Yeah. She really wants us to get married…"

"Your sister wants to marry you? Huh, never heard of that before."

"No?"

"Not really. At least, not that Charice is telling me."

"Charice? That girl in the red jacket?"

"Yeah, she's my older sister, and she's more interesting in seeing me with another man." Rizal sighed. "But seriously? I wish she would butt out of my personal life."

"The same can be said for Natalya."

"OK, that's where we have a difference: at least my sister knows when to back up."

"_Lucky…"_

"…you sound depressed." He blinked. "And is that alcohol I'm smelling on you?"

"Eh? Oh, that's just vodka."

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"Vodka _**is**_ alcohol."

"Not really. Drink small amounts and you won't get drunk."

"Says you. I don't have the body of a freaking bear, and god knows what my alcohol tolerance is."

"You'll gain one the more you drink~"

"_Not risking it."_

"Eh? No? How old are you anyway?"

"Sixteen at most."

"Really? And you haven't had any alcohol?"

"Am I supposed to? The last time I was around any, stupid things happened."

"Like what?"

"_**KUYAAAAAAAAAAAA!"**_

"Oh shit. Zip up your pants before she comes in."

Ivan was quick to do so _(almost like he was a child fulfilling an order)_ before Charice threw the boy's bathroom door open with a panicked look on her face. Her small jacket was falling off and her hair was messed up, and for some reason one of her boot's laces were untied.

"Who the _**fuck**_ thought it was funny to replace all the water cups with alcohol?"

"What do you mean?" Ivan laughed. "Vodka is Russian water."

"So it was _you__…"_

"OK, what's going on, ate?"

"F-Feli-chan's drunk!"

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"What, is he planning on hijacking any cars-?"

"_**HE'S FUCKING SCARY, MAN!**_ He won't stop hitting on me and he's already stripped off half his clothing!"

"Say what?"

"_Oh, Charice…you're so __kinky__…"_

"_**UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!**__**"**_

**/= "AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY SCARY" =/**

The hotel wasn't that bad, to say the least. It was cheap enough so that they could get a two bed suite and have Charice hog the bed to herself without pushing Rizal off. But all she knew was that Russian programming must have something English on it _(or Tagalog, but that is a bit of a stretch in Russian standards)_. After a few minutes, Charice started flipping through the channels.

"_Man…nothing's on that I can understand…"_ She sighed. _"Is there even anything __**INTERESTING**__ on? Anything that could be worth a few seconds?"_

After a few seconds, she noticed that the temperature had gone up and it had started raining outside. The clock was reaching midnight, and Charice decided that she might as well go to bed. Standing up, she turned off the TV and closed the curtains. For some reason, it was foggy outside…

"_**All humanity is corrupted."**_

_The fuck?_

She turned her head and noticed that the TV had turned on, revealing a very lovely woman on the static screen. What really got her attention was the fact that her voice was apparently Feli-chan's…a deeper Feli-chan's…or a higher Lovi-chan's voice?

"_**They call for death, every single one of them…every single day of the year…none of them are satisfied…they're too smart for this world~"**_

_That's definitely Feli-chan's voice…_

"_**Perhaps this is something that must be changed."**_

_I-Is that…Vash's voice?_

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"_Ate, how many times have I told you not to watch the Midnight Channel? God knows what you'd do to it."_

"But it's…Feli-chan…Vash-kun…love child…woman…_**HAAAAAAAAAAH?**__**"**_

**Italy **_**(Daisuke Namikawa)**_** + Switzerland **_**(Romi Park)**_** = Izanami **_**(Persona 4)**_

**Yes, WEEP.**


	87. Speaking of Personal Interests

It was a small break from all the business stuff _(thank god)_. They were hanging out in Los Angeles next to the beach _(and Ludwig's rock-hard abs…ohhhhhhhhh yeaaaaahhhh)_ and the boardwalk, and everyone seemed to be happy that there are no papers to be filled. Charice, for one thing, finally tried a two-piece swimsuit to go to the beach. Nevermind the fact that it was a tank-top and shorts, but…

"Finally, a break!" Elizabeta sighed. "At least I can try achieving a tan for once…"

"Well, ha ha for you." Charice leaned back. "I _**have**_ a tan."

"_Shut up."_

She could only laugh with Erika as the three of them watched the boys shoot each other with water guns, most of the time they forgot what side they were in and just shot at poor Feliciano, who was whimpering pathetically as he started shooting everyone he could find…even though his gun was empty. Again, everyone could only laugh.

"Yaaaaaaah! Papa! Mama! _**Help meeeeee!"**_

"Eh?" Charice blinked. "Who the hell are-?"

Before her eyes, Roderich and Elizabeta had grabbed water guns _**out of nowhere**_ and started shooting everyone like they were in the middle of a war. Her first instinct was to grab the parasol that they had and shield Erika the entire time people were jumping over each other shooting water at each other.

"On your left!"

"Gotcha!"

After a few long minutes of whatever the hell _**that**_ was, Charice finally lowered the parasol. Everyone was soaked with Roderich and Elizabeta holding their pistols like they were the gods of the beach. Even passing individuals were wondering what the heck happened. Roderich finally turned and hit Feliciano on the head.

"Dammit, Feli. You should learn how to protect yourself for once." He sighed. "You're a man now…stronger than the both of us!"

"_V-ve…"_

"Don't worry about it, Feli. He's just worried about you~" Elizabeta chirped.

"Ve…thank you~"

_**The hell just happened?**_

"Heeeeey, America!" Rizal was calling from the other side of the beach. "If you're done over there, you promised me a few rounds of basketball!"

"All right, all right, I'm coming!"

Alfred headed toward Rizal as the others went to watch it in consideration. Charice and Erika quickly followed suit, squeezing through and seeing that Alfred had the ball. There wasn't much talk between them…only that Rizal had taken the ball and shot a three-pointer.

"Yay!" Charice clapped. "Way to go, kuya!"

"What the hell?" Alfred was confused.

"Boy, you have to realize something about us Filipinos." Rizal grinned. "You invented the sport; _**we perfected it."**_

Before they knew it, he had gotten at least five other points before Alfred was able to get a three-pointer as well. The competition ended up becoming so fierce that it took the police to say that it was over and that they should go home now. They actually had to beat them in a basketball game in order for them to leave.

**/=+=/**

They were all hanging out in Japan this time, and were heading off to an anime convention _("the true convention", as he called it)_. Naturally, it meant that cosplaying was in effect. No one seemed to mind…except for Ludwig, who did not want to do this at all. He ended up having to dress up as a Soul Caliber character _(Kiku wouldn't tell him what, though)._

Charice merely chirped the entire way there, and she was singing the theme song to Pokemon so many times that both Alfred and Francis had to tell her to shut up _**three times**_ to get her to stop. And even then poor Feliciano had the song stuck in his head, and was humming it the rest of the way.

Before they knew it, they had made it: the Tokyo International Anime Fair. Alfred and Charice had literally plastered themselves onto the window of the bus they were on just to see the building that they were going to enter. Rizal just tried to stay out of the way, combing up his hair to make sure it stayed up without resorting to hair gel.

"Are we almost there? Are we almost there?"

"We're gonna start parking soon." Kiku answered. "Don't worry."

They didn't have to wait. The minute the bus was parked, Alfred and Charice literally jumped out and ran to the entrance waving their tickets in hand. Everyone else followed suit, leaving the poor bus driver confused at what just happened. But what the heck: the two of them were already screened in and were flipping over anything they thought could be cheap.

"Dammit, ate! Don't bring our debt higher than it already is!"

"_**But KUYAAAAAAA…"**_

"You too, Alfred."

"_Aw…"_

Nonetheless, the two of them felt at home in this crazy landscape. To Kiku's delight, Charice and Alfred were molding in with the fangirls and boys to the point where they were all fanning over Ludwig's awesome cosplay _(something he didn't seem to like)_. Kiku turned his head to see that Rizal was staring at one of the booths with lights in his eyes.

"What's up?"

"…I just…saw something…"

He quickly dashed up to the booth and grabbed one of the books, and to Kiku's surprise it was Yu Yu Hakusho. Rizal was reading it slowly, almost like he was enjoying the series. Kiku never thought he was an anime fan, but…wow, this was new.

"Wow, Rizal." Kiku leaned forward. "I didn't know you were a fan of Yu Yu Hakusho."

"Eh? What's that?"

_What?_ "The series you're reading."

"That's not the title. This is Ghost Fighter…you know, the one with Eugene and Alfred in it, fighting demons to save the human world from evil."

"…that's…Yu Yu Hakusho…"

"Well, most of your shows are the same, so it's not like I'm complaining." Rizal looked back. "Hold on, I'm contemplating on buying this."

Kiku stared at him for a few minutes before turning his head around and seeing Charice about to haggle her way into getting fifty plushies. He sighed and quickly dragged her out of the way, making her scream and cry all the while before she was a good distance away.

"**Why did you do thaaaaaaat?"**

"So that you can have enough money for your debt later." Kiku sighed. "Now can you explain something to me?"

"Eh? About what?"

"Ghost Fighter."

"Oh, you mean Yu Yu Hakusho? Yeah, my people wanted to dub it and called it Ghost Fighter for some reason. Rizal really seems to like it." Charice waved her hand around. "Most of the names sounded hard to pronounce, so I think they decided to change it, but I guess in hindsight it's pretty funny. I mean, Kuwabara being changed to _**Alfred?**_ That is just funny!"

"Someone call me?"

"_**No,**_ no we didn't!" Charice laughed. "Seriously, that's the story."

"…oh…you dubbed it yourself."

"Yeah, kinda…personally, I prefer Alfred's version because…hell, they sounded a little better. Can't wait for their company to rerelease their dub." She rubbed her head. "But I still think it's rather _**odd…"**_

"Eh? What's odd?"

"The fact that his people got a male actor to play Kurama…isn't she a girl?"

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"Kurama's a boy."

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"Bullshit. No man can be _**that**_ feminine-"

"Feliciano?"

"Holy shit." Charice's eyes widened. "That…suddenly makes sense."

"Have you watched both my version and his version?"

"Yes. Both of them are OK…his is more sarcastic, and I just _**love**_ his Yusuke. It's awesome."

"You do, do you?"

"Of course I do! Just the right about of sarcasm~"

"Kiku, do you know where I can find the-?"

"_**OH MY GOD THAT'S HIEI WHERE IS HE?"**_

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"That's Roderich."

"Oh…right."

**/=+=/**

**The Philippines is known for being rather basketball crazy, perhaps one of if not the most nuts. I should know: my father was a basketball player in high school and was one of the best. Those teams are **_**harsh**_**, though they don't really have the funding to actually practice on good basketball courts.**

**In other news, ****Yu Yu Hakusho****, while very popular in Japan and somewhat in America, has obtained somewhat of a cult classic in the Philippines. This was before the Internet was brought to that nation, so no one really had seen a show like this before, and Filipino boys were obsessed with the show about ghosts. The thing here is that the dub, while rather decent **_**(I watched a few episodes while I was there on vacation)**_**, changed all the names of the characters. Then again, should I really be surprised when Americans have done that to Japan's characters too **_**(Ash? From Satoshi?)**_**? I think the redub had fixed it, but for those of you who are rather curious…**

**Yusuke – Eugene**

**Kuwabara – Alfred **_**(America jokes will not be tolerated)**_

**Kurama – Denise/Dennis**

**Hiei – Vincent **

**OK, Kurama had to be the funniest case of misnaming ever. Like what America did to one of the bad guys from Sailor Moon **_**(Zoisite, I think his name was?)**_**, they changed Kurama from a boy to a girl and gave him a girl's voice. But they had a rather weird excuse: they really didn't have a clue that Kurama was supposed to be a guy. The fact that he had nice hair, slim figure, and was voiced by Megumi Ogata in the Japanese version didn't quite help either **_**(I listened to the Japanese Dub, and my god it was like he was a grown woman. Hiei was sexy though :D)**_**. By the time they realized it was a man, he was already in a few episodes and there was really no way to cover their mistake. So they just handwaved it and said that he was pretending to be a girl in order to protect himself while he was regaining his demon energy **_or something like that._** Nonetheless, most Filipinos took the hand wave because I don't think even THEY could tell.**

**I wonder what they think about FUNimation redubbing the francise…oh, speaking of which.**

**Austria **_**(Chuck Huber)**_** = Hiei **_**(Yu Yu Hakusho)**_

**Switzerland **_**(John Burgmeier)**_** = Kurama **_**(Yu Yu Hakusho)**_

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**Oh fuck it. ****Yu Yu Hakusho**** is dubbed by FUNimation. I'm pretty sure the cast is just going to **_**fall**_** into place.**


	88. What Of the Italians and Filipinos?

Ludwig watched as Alfred started ordering them some McDonald burgers and fries from the counter. The fact that he was being referred to by his first name _(well, his human first name, but still)_ meant that he was coming here just a little bit too often for his own good…

"Oh, Alfred!" The girl at the counter laughed. "Ordering the usual?"

"Make it five, this time. I have a friend I'm treating!"

"Coming right up. That'll be $25.89."

"All right! Come on, Ludwig, we're waiting at the side!"

"…_five?__"_

"I usually order eight, but I decided to try cutting down. Work on the _**manly pecs**_, you see."

"…manly…pecs?"

"You know, the abdominal muscles!" Alfred started patting Ludwig's stomach. "Like yours~"

"_**S-stop that!"**_

"What, I thought you Germans like that kind of stuff."

"_Not from you…"_

"You sound jealous."

"I'm not…all I know is that you hang out with Charice in your spare time, and god knows what she did to you."

"Eh? You _do_ know that I raised _her_, right?"

"E-eh? Of course I did. You're just easy to influence."

"Dude, you totally didn't know that." Alfred grabbed the food from the counter. "Not that I can blame you: Kiku's the only Asian you've actually _**talked**_ to beforehand."

"_Grr…don't make fun of me."_

"Ahahahaha! Come on, relax and have a hamburger! We're on break, and it's nice to hang with someone else for a change."

"…I…guess."

Ludwig sighed as he sat at a table with Alfred, watching him down his first hamburger without so much as breathing. He was seriously wondering if he needed help or something to chew, but he was already done with it. To his wonderment, he had handled the recession a lot better than he had previously thought _(then again, he was expecting him to __**tank**__, but still…)_. He sighed and looked back at the hamburger in front of him. Sure, this was a creation from one of his people, but this still felt weird to look at…

"Hey, you're friends with Feliciano, right?"

"Hm?" He lifted up his hamburger.

"Either that, or he's just one of the clingy types like Natalya, right?" Alfred bit into fifteen fries at once.

"No, he is my friend…as useless as he is." Ludwig actually had table manners. "I wouldn't have allowed him to join the Axis for nothing."

"Seriously? What does he do to help you?"

"…he just helps me keep my sanity in check." He sighed. "You do know of my boss?"

"Dude, the guy was messed up as shit. I can't believe you actually _**listened**_ to him the entire time."

"I shall have you know that many of my people hated that bastard once you rolled around."

"Hey, no need to be edgy. Everyone has asshole bosses that they don't like." Alfred ate his third burger. "At least the one you hated had some form of brain cell."

Ludwig could only sigh.

"Besides, the fact that you can befriend someone as happy-go-lucky as Feliciano without making him either messed up or angry at you means that you still have the humanity left for someone to like." He shrugged.

"I guess…" He blinked. "Though…don't you have a friend like Feliciano?"

"Eh? Dude, I don't care what anyone says: Lovino is _**totally different!"**_

"No no no…I'm talking about you having a colony that's like Feliciano."

"OK, if you're talking about who I think you're talking about: first of all, they were a _**commonwealth.**_ Plus, I was making sure they become their own government." Alfred leaned back. "Charice and Rizal, right?"

"Yes, those are who I'm talking about." Ludwig leaned forward. "They are similar to the Italians, aren't they?"

"Oh dear _**God,**_ me and Mattie were talking about it on the way here! Those four dudes have way too much in common!" Alfred laughed. "I mean, think about it: there's one that can't be trusted alone, one that may be rather psychotic, both highly Catholic, all rather cute if you think about it, one of the siblings each act like a total _**girl**_, and don't even get me started on the-"

"_**I MEANT CULTURE WISE."**_

"Eh?"

***ahem*** Ludwig stepped back. "I mean…the Italians and Filipinos are rather similar in terms of culture."

"Oh yeah, that is totally true! I mean, both of them are Catholic, have families the size of _**hotel floors**_, live in warm climates, have large quantities of food, extremely friendly in world standards, surrounded by water most of the time, heck even shaped weird! I mean, Italy is shaped like a lady's boot, but have you _**seen **_the Philippines? It looks like California if it was a broken puzzle!"

_Oh my god, is he still talking?_

"Don't even get me started on the history! Both guys got taken over by Antonio, so they're both rather easy and loony in the head, both have been Fascist at some point, and dude, have you seen their food? Their food is so huge and in such massive quantities I almost gained like five hundred pounds at one of the family reunions of one of my human friends! Didn't help that the bride and groom were Italian and Filipino, but-"

_Oh mein gott, someone shut him up __**please.**_

"Then again those two places seem to like earthquakes a lot and everything is so green and beautiful and- oh by the way, how are you and Feliciano?"

"Eh?"

"Did you ever give up chasing that hot piece of ass yet and head over to Roderich yet? Cause I'm in a bet with Francis that you may go to him in the next decade or two."

_***speaw***_

**/= "AND NOW FOR SOME ****ACTUAL**** FILIPINOS" =/**

"Ve~~~there, there! That's the cathedral I was talking about! The Duomo of Milan!"

Rizal had to admit that it was his first time seeing an Italian cathedral, and this entire thing did not disappoint him. The place towered over his head, a lot more than most of the cathedrals back home, and was rather sturdy in their concrete and recreation. As the two of them wandered into the building, he could hear the marble clicking from underneath his heels.

"_This place looks beautiful."_

"_It's the biggest cathedral in my home, the fourth in the world."_ Feliciano smiled. _"I'm glad you like it."_

Rizal could only nod for a minute, noticing that someone was kneeling and praying in silence a few feet away from them. Feliciano quickly walked into a pew, making Rizal ignore him and join the Italian in the seat. He was quietly kneeling and praying in Italian, leaving the Filipino to pray as well. Hopefully his namesake was in peace…

"_Where's Charice?"_

"_Hm?"_

"_I was expecting her to just come out of nowhere…"_

"_Don't mind it. She's with Yong Soo playing the Running Man…"_

"_Eh?"_

"_Don't think too hard into it."_

"_Ve?"_

"_Anyway…"_ Rizal sighed. _"You seem to like praying to God a lot."_

"_It's the only way I can talk to a friend of mine…"_

"_A friend?"_

"_Someone I knew a long time ago…"_

Rizal didn't say anything more than that, looking up to see the man stand up and walk away, a quiet look on his face and looking totally not like him. What's even more interesting was that it was Gilbert, and by the look of things he didn't notice any of them as he quietly left the place with a lone tear.

"_Oh, I haven't seen you the rooftop yet!"_

"_We can go up there?"_

"_Of course!"_

Feliciano quietly got his hand _(the skin was oddly soft)_ and headed toward the rooftop, where he had to admit that the view was beautiful. The sun was just about to set, so the light was setting everything into a light orange tone. For some reason, it was making Feliciano shine in the light. It was probably an innocence thing…

"It's beautiful up here, isn't it?"

"It is." Rizal looked around. "But nothing really beats being surrounded by nature."

"I know." Feliciano smiled, blushing. "But still…isn't the city beautiful?"

"Yeah." Rizal stood next to him, just imagining what it would look like late at night. "You must really like this place."

"I used to come here a lot, back when I was still a child." He answered. "The city never seems to change, doesn't it?"

"Yeah…time almost stands still here…" _And yet you can still see the effects…_

He thought about the friend that Feliciano was probably praying for. He thought about whatever Gilbert was praying to earlier. He thought about his namesake, hopefully living in the afterlife with the God that he believed in, knowing that what he did helped his sister achieve independence he dreamed for…

"You should be hungry at this point, Feliciano."

"Ve~~sort of…I remember seeing a nearby restaurant~"

"You want to go there?"

"Of course!"

**/=+=/**

**What's rather interesting is that during the economic recession, Germany was one of the few nations that not only rebounded quickly afterward, he actually went back to pre-recession status. Many economists and socialists state that the reason is because Germany follows something named "The Protestant Ethic", which ties religion to their economy. Germany is mainly Protestant, which tie together hard work with labor costs.**

**I don't care what anyone says: I SWEAR TO GOD THAT THE PHILIPPINES LOOKS LIKE A BROKEN UP CALIFORNIA STATE.**

**Running Man**** is a Korean reality game show similar to ****The Amazing Race**** only on a smaller scale. The object of the game is to complete missions in a linear pattern, usually involving "guests" and some heated rivalries. It's not really a game show since the cast is static like a reality show, but it just means that there's shipping involved and all that jazz.**


	89. The Mystery of the Pokemon Zodiac

"Hm…this is rather peculiar…"

"Eh? What's wrong, Kiku?"

"**The Day of Seismitoad in the Reign of Palkia, Season of Water**..."

"…are you OK, Kiku?"

"Eh, oh Charice." Kiku smiled from his computer. "I happened to cross upon a rather peculiar website that I thought looked interesting."

"What is it about?" Charice sat next to him.

"It's basically like the Western Zodiac system, only instead of Greek and Roman gods, it's legendary Pokemon…" Kiku sighed. "It's rather weird when I went on…I'm a _toad that uses vibrations?"_

"Well, it's a Pokemon of sound under the one who created space, so it's not that weird." Charice clapped her hands. "Oh, try my birthday! It's April 27th!"

Kiku nodded and slowly typed in the birthday in the computer, just as the other nations started to pour into the lounge to have a small break from everything. Alfred noticed Kiku and Charice together and couldn't help but take a look. Li Xiao, of course, snuck up from behind _(he will __not__ be outshined)_.

"…oh my."

"What is it?" Alfred stared at him.

"**The Day of Heatran in the Reign of Heatran, Season of Fire**…" Kiku nodded. "Congratulations. You're apparently a legendary Pokemon with a short temper."

"Lucky!" Alfred punched her shoulder. "Heatrans are those who can make whole mountains erupt when they go crazy!"

_That explains her so perfectly…_ Li Xiao thought.

"Wow, that sounds so freaking awesome…" She started waving her hands. "Oh, how about kuya's birthday? It's June 12th."

"All right…" Kiku's face started to scrunch in interest. "**The Day of Bellossom in the Reign of Shaymin, Season of Earth**…"

"Dude…that makes the most sense out of all these predictions." Alfred waved his hands. "Think about it! Earth people are calm, Shaymin have two forms, and Bellossom is pretty to look at-"

"You calling my brother pretty?" Charice cocked an eyebrow.

"Aren't we all~?" Alfred batted his eyelids.

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"My birthday's July 1st, Kiku."

"Thank you, Li Xiao." Kiku started typing. "**The Day of Ariados in the Reign of Genesect, Season of Earth**."

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"What the hell is a Genesect?"

"I dunno. Sounds like Canada's issue."

"Who?"

"Whatever."

Charice turned her head around and noticed that Feliciano was holding onto Ludwig as usual, begging him to have the last piece of spaghetti that he had made and the German was being strict as usual. On the other side, Lovino was harassing Antonio for the millionth time because he was grabbing his ass _(for no reason)_.

"I think the Italians' birthdays are March 17th, right?" Li Xiao looked up.

"Yeah, that's right." He typed it in. "**The Day of Raticate in the Reign of Victini, Season of Fire.**"

"That is totally accurate." Alfred gawked. "Raticate can run away from battles without problems, man. Crap, this thing is creepy accurate."

"Well, let's judge that after we see your birthday." Charice laughed.

"Already did. **The Day of Heracross in the Reign of Genesect, Season of Earth.**" Kiku nodded. "Similar to July 1st, only with a Heracross."

"Well, if my knowledge of Pokemon didn't fail me, Heracross has enough strength to tear down whole trees, right?" Li Xiao blinked. "This is rather accurate, Kiku. Did you write this?"

"No, of course not. Otherwise, I wouldn't be a vibrating frog."

"OK, I still don't believe this." Charice pointed at the computer screen. "Type in Arthur's birthday. Let's see how accurate this machine is now."

"It's April 25th, in case you're curious." Alfred winked.

"All right…" Kiku nodded. "**The Day of Spiritomb in the Reign of Giratina, Season of Fire**…"

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"Francis. Put in his birthday, please."

"Yes, that will fare well…" Li Xiao nodded. "There are no such things as sexy Pokemon, I hope."

"It's July 14th, I remember…" Kiku nodded. "**The Day of Ferrothorn in the Reign of Dialga, Season of Earth.**"

"That sounds vaguely like Francis, but I guess we can all breathe for now." Charice sighed in relief. "How about Ivan? That's not bad. December 30th."

"Hm…**The Day of Armaldo in the Reign of Uxie, Mespirit and Azelf, Season of the Mind.**"

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"T-that means that Ivan can take over everyone in the world and have enough armor to protect him from our attacks!" Alfred panicked. "That's crazy!"

"This is just Pokemon…of course…" Kiku shivered. "Let's just do one more…how about Ludwig?"

"When is his birthday, anyway?" Alfred blinked. "I never knew that."

"I don't know it either." Li Xiao looked up. "I asked teacher once, and he didn't know either."

"Does _**anyone**_ know his birthday at all?" Charice blinked.

"It's October 20th." Kiku answered. "Not too many people know of it, and he only recently remembered it."

"Remembered it? So mysterious!" Alfred chuckled. "Maybe this Pokemon is going to be the most mysterious out of all of them!"

"Well, let me see…**The Day of Mew in the Reign of Mew, Season of the Mind.**"

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"What? Why are you four looking at me like that?"

**/=+=/**

**They're talking about this website: [http:/ www. dragonflycave. com/ zodiac. aspx] **


	90. The Country With the Most Respect

**OK, I was just given this link:**

**http:/ www. newsnet14 .com /? p=82716**

**And I was like, "screw it, THE WORLD MUST KNOW."**

**/=+=/**

"Hey guys! Hey, hey, _**hey!**__**"**_

"What is it this time, Charice?"

"I got the list Alfred was talking about!"

"Seriously? _**Let me see-!"**_

"Hush up, hush up! I'm gonna read this outloud!"

Matthew could really care less about the list, sitting there at the table as he saw the nations gather around Charice's chair. He sat there quietly, holding Kumajiro and drinking his coffee _(with maple syrup in it…just the way he likes his coffee in the morning…)_.

"You're not going to listen?"

"_Eh?"_ He turned around. _"Oh…Seyel. No, I'm not that interested."_

"I thought you would be. I mean, aren't you curious?"

"_Not…really." _He answered. _"We never read the list before, and we're only listening because Charice got around the websites…"_

"Huh…" Seyel sat down next to him. "Well, I guess it's not that interesting. It sounds more like a popularity poll than anything else."

"_It just means that whoever's on top of the list is respected among the people, not us personally."_ Matthew stated. _"So what's the point?"_

"Bragging rights?" Seyel looked at them. "I mean, it's a mainly man's world out there."

"_I guess…"_

"**OKAY! Number 10: ****THE NETHERLANDS!****"**

Everyone started hooting and hollering for Espen to come up and say something _(sheesh, it was a freaking pageant)_, but noticed that he was a little high and decided not to bother. There were a few choice words going around that no one wanted to touch on.

"Heeeey…hey, what's-your-face."

"_Yes?"_

"…you want some heroin?"

"_I-I'm good."_

"Please. You wanna be as shit-faced as I am."

"_Not during a meeting!"_

"Do we even do anything during these meetings?"

"…_good point…but I'm still not smoking!"_

"Eh?"

"_Don't question, Seyel…"_

"OK…"

"**Number 09: ****AUSTRIA!****"**

There wasn't even a formal speech or anything. All Roderich did was stand up and go to this random piano-

"_**OI! How the fuck did we get a piano here?"**_

"**Shut up**, Lovino."

-and started playing what sounded like a victory theme song from a video game. All it did was make Kiku and Alfred laugh and clap like they were five year olds. Matthew and Seyel couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Charice, we should probably stop before something stupid happens-"

"I think not, Rizal! I wanna see these people beat each other to death!"

"Say what now-"

"**Number 08: ****FINLAND!****"**

"Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, Santa Claus!"

"Alfred! Call me Tino until that date, please!"

Matthew couldn't help but laugh. Tino had actually remembered him during the Christmas holiday and actually gave him the hoodie that he was wearing right now. Not that it was interesting information, but the hoodie was just so warm and comfortable…

"**Number 07: ****DENMARK!****"**

"_**WOOOOOOOO YEAAAAHHH!**_ Magnus has struck again! You know what that means!"

"_Oh shit…"_

"Ludwig, what does that mean-?"

Before they knew it, Magnus, Gilbert and Alfred suddenly did a cheesy victory pose ripped straight out of Power Rangers. Kiku suddenly started screaming about copyright issues while Berwald thought it would be interesting to videotape all of this. Matthew and Seyel shared a quiet giggle with each other.

"What's going on here?" She asked.

"_Well, Alfred recently became friends with Magnus and Gilbert…and the world hasn't been right ever since."_

"I can…see that."

"_I still haven't been able to clean up their mess yet."_

"I can…see that."

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"Wait, _**what?"**_

"**Number 06…**holy crap, it's a tie."

"Seriously, with who?"

"**DENMARK**** and ****NEW ZEALAND!****"**

"Why do you scream that like you were expecting blood?"

"Because-"

And that was when the two nations were fighting each other to gain the number 05 spot. Rizal had to break them up, and they spent the rest of the day glaring at each other like they were about to start another war or something. Matthew hid behind Kumajiro in fear. Like that was gonna help.

"All right, **Number 04**…holy crap, **SWITZERLAND!****"**

"_**Seriously?**_ Vash got fourth place? He ain't the top or anything?

"_I swear to God, I mean here; check the list."_

"_Holy crap, he is number four."_

"OK, why am I supposed to care about this?" Vash asked.

"Why are you staring at the list with a smile on your face?"

"_Shut up."_

"Whatever, we keep going. **Number 03: ****AUSTRALIA!****"**

"_**Booyah!**_ That's fantastic, mate!"

"Bloody hell, am I even on this list at all?"

"Nope~"

Matthew was surprised as Arthur started going on a small tangent. While England may be a bit of a dick, he was seriously surprised by the fact that he wasn't on the list. Then again, he was surprised that Charice hadn't mentioned any of the G8 nations at all _(especially America)_. Were any of them on the list?

"**Number 02: ****SWEDEN!****"**

Everyone turned to Berwald, who was still videotaping the entire incident. He didn't have a reaction at all, just looking at the screen in his hand.

"D'n't m'nd m', 'm j'st f'lm'ng."

"All…right." Charice chuckled. "We're gonna go for number one now~"

"It's totally me!"

"Hell no! It's me!"

"It's obviously me~!"

"_**You're not even a nation anymore!"**_

Matthew stared at everyone, wondering what was going on. People were arguing on who was going to be number one, many were confused on why it wasn't Switzerland. Most of them were wondering if it was Liechtenstein. Others were thinking that it was Germany.

"Who do you think it is?" Seyel asked.

"_Um…I would think it would be an Asian country. They're doing quite well."_

"Well, it can't be China…some nations still hate him…"

"_So I guess it's Japan, then."_

"Maybe."

"**Number 01: ****CANADA!****"**

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"Who?"

Everyone turned toward Matthew sitting in his seat, just as Kumajiro jumped off and wandered away. For the first time in his life, he wanted to turn invisible and hide in peace.

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Why is it not working?

"_Um…I…don't know…what to say…"_

"Way to go, Matthew!" Charice chuckled. "Now that is the respect you need!"

He just needed to blush.


	91. What Happens When Boredom Erupts

**And now for something completely random. "Skits", as the Tales series calls it.**

**/= "Movie-Goers" =/**

"Well! That was a good movie!"

"Alfred, stop lying to yourself. That was a shit movie and you know it too."

"…_no…it was a good movie…"_

Rizal stared at Arthur as he and Alfred started arguing on whether or not The Three Musketeers _(or the "Orlando Bloom movie", as he puts it)_ was a good movie or not. Li Xiao and Yong Soo were looking at each other, agreeing that the movie did suck but not opening their mouths.

"OK, do I have to play the adult here?" Rizal grabbed both of them. "Behave, you two. Or no dessert."

"_Nuuuuuu…"_

"Like I bloody care."

"How about I take away your tea?"

"_Nuuuuuuu…"_

"The movie sucked, but I really liked it da ze!" Yong Soo waved his hands around. "There's something entertaining about bad movies!"

"There really is." Rizal grinned. "So let the boy like his bad movies."

"…fine."

The argument ended with the two of them ending their lovers' spat and facing away from each other. All Rizal ended up wondering was who was going to be driving them back to their hotels. With their fighting, Alfred surely wasn't going to do it.

"There must be a bad movie you liked, Arthur."

"Of course I don't. All the movies I like are good."

"Arthur." Li Xiao grinned. "You're lying, aren't you?"

"…"

"Arthur."

"…_Moulin Rouge."_

"Thank you." Li Xiao nodded in victory.

"Now we're getting somewhere. I mean, everyone likes a bad movie or two." Rizal shrugged. "I personally like the Twilight movies."

"_**WHY?"**_ Everyone flailed to him. "Those movies suck balls!"

"Indeed they do." Rizal grinned. "There's nothing more entertaining than watching a woman manipulating powerful supernatural creatures to do her bidding by using their emotions as a bargaining chip."

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"You are fucked up, Rizal."

"Well, that and the fact that Charice points out every single flaw in such a way that makes the film entertaining."

"And now I know that you're insane." Arthur sighed. "We know that Alfred likes a lot of crappy films."

"You don't know the _crappiest_film that I like." He winked. "It's an independent film."

"Independent? What's it called?"

"The Room."

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"What the heck is that movie?"

"Just the worst film in forever." He laughed. "But it's so bad it's entertaining!"

"OK…" Rizal turned to Li Xiao. "What's the worst movie you liked?"

"Um…I personally liked The Last Airbender."

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"_**Don't talk to me."**_

"Al-?"

"_**DON'T. TOUCH ME."**_

**/= "Food for the Average Gamer" =/**

Feliciano and Charice were invited to Kiku's house for an intense online gaming fight with Yong Soo and Alfred. The two of them watched as Kiku plugged in the computer and started to connect more wires.

"Um…Kiku? What are you doing?"

"I'm connecting the computer to the TV to get a bigger resolution."

"Ve? Isn't that illegal?"

"_**NOT IN THE GAMING WORLD…"**_

"_Ve…"_

"Well, yeah, good luck with that." Charice sighed. "Me and Feliciano are going to make sure that we don't step on anything. You want anything to eat?"

"I don't mind what you make."

"Sweet." Charice grinned. "Come on~"

Feliciano felt the girl dragged him to the Japanese man's kitchen, seeing what was there. To the Italian's surprise, she was grabbing a whole lot of lemons and pulling them out of the fridge. And then he saw the rolled icing.

"What are you making?"

"Food set for a gamer." She grinned. "Hollow out the lemon and pop everything into the freezer, kay?"

**/~+~/**

"Alfred, are you there?"

_**["Online and ready to rumble, dude. Where's Yong Soo?"]**_

_**("Here as always, da ze!")**_

"That's good." Kiku grinned. "I needed something to get me through this summer."

_**["Dude, tell me about it! My AC is working overtime!"]**_

_**("You're one to complain about the temperature!")**_

Kiku could only roll his eyes and watch as the other two got their characters into the waiting hall that they were in. Yong Soo's character _(which was a girl…for no reason)_ was waving around what looked like their mission.

_**("You guys wanna go now?")**_

_**["Hold up, man. I wanna go shopping for some items first."]**_

"You can do that. You need anything, Yong Soo?"

_**("I think so. Let me check.")**_

Kiku nodded before noticing that someone else was walking into the room. He turned his head and noticed that Charice was holding what looked like a lemon with ice cream in it. It looked oddly familiar when she gave it to him, before he got this.

"I-is this…?"

"It's a Spark Lemon~"

"From Birth by Sleep...?" His eyes started to sparkle. "It's beautiful…"

_**["Dude, what the heck is that?"]**_

"It's a Spark Lemon~"

_**["YOU SERIOUS? THOSE THINGS ARE REAL?"]**_

"So…are you ready to go?"

**/= "Benders?" =/**

"So I heard that you're continuing your Avatar series."

"That's right, dude." Alfred grinned. "It's anime for Americans! It's only natural!"

"Just be grateful that the show's good so far." Charice stated. "I know what happens to you when it comes to sequels."

"Thanks." He leaned back on his chair. "Hey, what if everyone in the world was a bender? Like we were in the world where people could bend?"

"Then they would probably be wiped out because the non-benders rallied up and turned it into a communist state."

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"Think about it. Amon's rallying up everyone for Communism!"

"_Holy crap…"_ Alfred stared at nothing for a few seconds. "That is messed up."

"Totally. But still, bending sounds pretty cool." Charice grinned. "I'd like to be a bender."

"I know, right? I see myself as an Earthbender, myself. Sturdy and strong~"

"Nah. Ludwig's an Earthbender, totally." She laughed. "Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if he secretly was~"

"That would be creepy." Alfred shivered. "So, what about Waterbenders?"

"Seyel. That's a top one. And maybe any island nations." She pointed out. "Kuya may be one."

"Would that make you a Firebender?"

"…huh. Didn't think of that. Nah, Wang Yao's a Firebender."

"Leave it to the stereotype that everyone on the show is Asian to tell you that Yao's a Firebender."

"But Kiku's an Airbender."

"That means he's dead?"

"We're not talking about the genocide of Airbenders here." Charice sighed. "In that case, we might as well say Israel's an Airbender."

"Hm…I guess." Alfred folded his legs. "So…what would Francis bend?"

"Sexuality."

…

…

"I walked into that, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you did."


	92. Welcome to the World of SENTAI

Rizal could only sigh as he headed alone to the meeting hall. Charice had just gotten down with a small cold _(a __human__ cold, mind you)_, so he was forced to attend the meeting alone. While he much rather preferred that, the fact that he no longer had someone to hide behind when shit hit the fan was rather terrifying to think about. But no matter…maybe they can actually get some work done.

He quietly opened the door, looking around and noticing in confusion that the entire place sounded rather empty. Rizal stopped that thought for a minute. The lobby always has a tendency to be empty whenever he and Charice would walk through the door.

_That just means something stupid is going on._ He shivered.

To his surprise, as he wandered deeper into the building, he didn't see anything that seemed to symbolize that mass chaos was about to happen in a minute's time. Rizal could only tilt his head in confusion as he continued down the hallway, wondering if he was going to miss something.

***Ring* *Ring***

_Oh…that's my phone…_ He slipped it out of his pocket. _A text…wow Charice, all you do is text me…_

**Charice:**** Kuya, we ran out of medicine and pancit. Please get more. Thx~**

He sighed. Is this really what she wants?

**Rizal:**** I'll get some after the meeting.**

**Charice:**** Yay, thank you~ :D**

He shook his head and changing to the note function, walking forward and ignoring everything else around him. _Note: Get some medicine and pancit after the meeting._

_***POP!***_

"_**OW!"**_ He rubbed the side of his head. "What the hell?"

"Kesesesese! The awesome me has gotten another victim!"

Rizal turned his head and noticed that Gilbert was standing a few feet away from him, wearing what he seriously believed was a painted chicken suit. Gilbird was flying around as if trying to make this even more threatening. The rock that he had supposedly thrown to him had a note that said "YOU'RE A VICTIM!"

"I'm sorry…what?"

"You are now a victim of the awesome me!"

"…should I be fighting for freedom, or…?"

"_**HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, MONSTER!"**_

"Oh no! They have found me!"

Rizal blinked for a few seconds before seeing a bright light erupt from his back. He turned around in confusion and noticed that there were other people a few feet away from them, the shadow covering up their faces…until they started talking.

"**Yo soy la república del amor, el reino de España, ****The Red Police!****"**

"**Ik ben het land van chocolade, de houder van de banken. Ik ben België, ****The Orange Police!****"**

"**W****ǒ**** du****ì**** sh****í****w****ù**** d****ì**** d****ì****f****ā****ng, h****é**** w****ǔ****sh****ù****! W****ǒ**** sh****ì**** zh****ō****nggu****ó, ****The Yellow Police!****"**

"**Nessuno pasticci con noi, il regno di avvio di amore e pasta! La Repubblica d'Italia, nord e sud, ****The Green Police!****"**

"**Watashi wa Asahi no tochida, meiyo no ryōiki to kami no shinden... Nihon no kyōwakoku, ****The White Police!****"**

"**And I am the land of the free, home of the brave! No one messes with me, ****The Blue Police!****"**

"**And we are the World Police, here to stop crime from occurring, and ****that means **_**you!**__**"**_

"You won't get me this time, World Police! I will always win!"

"Don't count on it, Prussia!" Lovino pointed at him. "You are history!"

Rizal stared for a few minutes as the small group of…whatever they were…started chasing the chicken suit down the hallway until silence set upon the building. He looked back down at his phone and sighed.

_Note: Get some medicine and pancit after the meeting. See if there is a Jack Daniels there too._

**/=+=/**

"Kamen Rider is better!"

"No, Power Rangers is!"

"The place of originality means that I have the better series!"

"But mine is totally more awesome than yours!"

Charice wanted to say her opinion, but she was too busy watching the battle between her two friends to even start talking. All she knew was that Alfred had been watching his people make the Power Rangers for quite some time, and that it was basically an American spin on the Japanese Power Rangers or something like that. She had watched both versions and had to admit that the American one was more entertaining…because of the race.

"Well, I have a cooler cast!"

"I have the better graphics!"

"I got the better enemies!"

"I have the cooler backgrounds!"

"I have the better plot!"

"Now now, you two…we have more important things to worry about than silly banter. Now if you two will settle down, let Big Brother France help you with your problem."

Charice turned her head to see that Francis had come out of nowhere _(must've gotten that from Gilbert or something)_ and was quietly sitting down on one of the chairs, between the two boys. Kiku and Alfred sat down next to him and looked at the Frenchman straight into the eye.

"We're debating over what's better, Kamen Rider or Power Rangers." Alfred winked. "Mine is better, of course."

"No, it's not."

"You're both wrong, monsieur. I have the better show."

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"What."

"I've watched both of your shows, and I had to admit that I found them rather…tacky…and unsophisticated. So I hinted to a director friend of mine to make his own version. And it's a lot better."

"How is yours better?" Kiku stood up. "My warriors work with the power of friendship and history!"

"Oh yeah?" Alfred stood up. "Well, my guys have everything from dinosaurs to magic!"

"Well, my warriors have the best kind of power: fashion and bread~"

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"**WHAT."**

"Oh yeah, bred is dangerous." Charice leaned forward. "Let it go stale for a while until it's a freaking rock-"

"_**THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEAN!"**_

**/=+=/**

**You think I'm kidding. France actually has its own Power Rangers version **_**(called "France Five"…lame, I know)**_**. It takes place in Paris and is kind of like the other Power Rangers we all know. The thing is that their power seriously does not come from something magical or ancient. No, I'm talking about bread, fashion, ****accordions****, **_**cheese**_**, and ****WINE.**_**FREAKING WINE.**_** You think I'm lying? Check the link and he'll explain more.**

**http:/thatguywiththeglasses. com/bt /benzaie/ specials/ 35182-deja -viewed-french -power-rangers**

**I have to tell you that the series isn't bad, and the Japanese actually enjoyed it. It just sounds WEIRD.**


	93. The Former Colonies Open Up

**So I've been watching Hetalia during my small break and I happened to come across a strange thought. Here is what resulted from it.**

**/=+=/**

"Hey kuya, I have a question."

"Yeah?"

"You know how we were colonies at one point?"

"_Don't remind me about those times…"_

"No no no, that's not what I meant. I was wondering if there were other nations that used to be colonies."

"I'm pretty sure _**every**_ nation was a colony at one point."

"I know, right? So do you know any used-to-be-colonies?"

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"I'm pretty sure I said **EVERY** country."

"But now I'm really, really curious."

"Go to a history book or something, or better yet Google it. That's what the humans do, and asking them is just going to dig up a bunch of skeletons from their closets."

"_**Awesome!**_ Let's do that then!"

"_What."_

**/=+=/**

"**OIIIIIII! FELI-CHAAAAN!"**

"Ve? _**Uwa!"**_

"Kumusta, Ita-chan~!"

"_C-Charice…you're hurting me…"_

"Oop, sorry~" She let him go and laughed. "Kuya and I were talking about nations that were former colonies! Were you one?"

"Si, I was. Me and my brother were separate nations at one point, long sought out by other kingdoms!"

"Why was that?"

"Um…i-if I remember correctly, it was because I was the heir to Grandpa Rome, and my big brother was the closest thing they could get to me."

"Huh. They must've been really cruel to you."

"Well, not all of them. A few of them were mean, but all of them were really nice to me, like Papa Austria and Holy Rome-"

"Holy what?"

"Holy Rome~" He sounded really happy when he said that name.

"…was that your…grandfather's…_twin_ or something?"

"No. Completely different person."

"Ohhhh…" She blinked. "Weird name."

"That's what his boss called him. He was really nice to me ever since I became his colony, even though he was scary at times. I think he liked me."

"…well." _PERSONAL VICTORY._ "He liked you. Do you know why?"

"I think it's because of the dresses."

…

"What."

"Miss Elizabeta would always make me wear dresses when I was around Holy Rome, and I think when I did so we would be closer." He smiled. "When he left for war, we promised that we would see each other again…"

"And did you see each other like you promised?"

Feliciano didn't say anything, instead looking away with a smile on his face. To Charice's confusion and shock, he started sniffling and shaking, almost as if a horrible memory had crossed his mind and had troubled him just as the words came out of her mouth.

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"**WHO MADE ITALY CRY?"**

"Wait what _**OH MY GOD **__**DON'T HURT ME PLEASE!**__**"**_

**/=+=/**

"Hey, Alfred. You were a colony once, right?"

"Eh? Well, sure I was. Why do you ask, Rizal?"

"My sister just wanted to go around asking a bunch of questions about it. From what I remember, you were a colony for a while, weren't you?"

"Not only that, man: I was the sought out colony of my time!"

"_Why do you make it sound like you were on a discount?"_

"I mean, think about it: here was this vast great land that no nation had ever seen before…mountains unclimbed, rivers untraveled, food untasted! And the one who embodied it all…the one that told the kingdoms that this land had a name and a purpose…was _**me."**_

_***sparkle***_

"Huh…I knew you had a lot of confidence, but I didn't know you had a bigger ego."

"Seriously, Rizal: you know nothing about me."

_You accept the big ego insult…?_

"You wanna know how much they wanted me? Seriously, I had three of the world's greatest kingdoms fight for me! Tino and Berwald were trying to get me underneath their noses! Hah, it was like I was made out of pure gold or something!"

"Um…well, most of the gold was coming from your South, and the South means Florida, which means…"

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"**Dude!** Are you saying they were after my vital regions?"

"Fraid so, Alfred."

"Wow…_and here I thought they wanted me because of my powers…"_

"OK, quick question: which three kingdoms are we talking about here?"

"Um…Britain…France…and Spain, I think."

"…yeah, I'm not surprised."

**/=+=/**

"So you were a colony of Francis, weren't you?"

"_Yeah, I was. The thing is, he lost me when he battled England, so I became England's colony until I left."_

"Interesting. Though I think it's weird that you haven't actually fought for your independence."

"_I really don't like fighting. I think at that time, England didn't care anymore. Then again, he let me ago after I mentioned that I would still see his queen as the head of state."_

"So a truce?"

"_I think I can call it that."_

"Huh. No wonder Alfred and the others use you as a butt monkey. At least the rest of us cut all of our ties at the time."

"_It's like I said, Charice…I really don't like fighting."_

"Which is why you end up being a total butt monkey. You really need to redeem yourself…personally, I mean. Becoming of the world's most awesomest nations isn't going to cut it…"

"_No, really…I'm fine, Charice. My economy is stable, so I have nothing to worry about-"_

"No no no, I'm going to end up worrying! Besides, it's been a while since we've pranked someone."

"_Oh no…not another one…"_

"What, you didn't like the other one we did?"

"…"

"You liked it, didn't you?"

"_I feel sinful…"_

"Nah, it's fine! Pranks are fine as long as they don't ruin someone's reputation or kill someone!" Charice waved her hand. "Now then…where should we begin?"

**/~+~/**

"Alfred, you really should cut down on those burgers!"

"Don't worry, dude! I'm actually losing weight right now!"

"Just make sure to wipe the ketchup off your mouth."

Alfred could only laugh as he and Arthur continued down the hallway and into the lobby, filled with mirrors. The American, after too much nagging, finally turned his head to one of the mirrors to wipe the ketchup off his mouth. Arthur moved in to make sure that Alfred got everything when…

"U-Um…A-Alfred?"

"Yeah? What's up?"

"W-why don't I have a reflection?"

Alfred looked up in confusion, seeing that Arthur was standing behind him and yet there was no reflection. He started laughing and pat his back.

"Maybe you're a vampire!"

"Vampires _**have**_ reflections, thank you!"

"Did Ion tell you that? Don't believe everything he said!"

Before they knew it, Alfred's reflection was moving on its own. The poor America turned his head as he watched his reflection mimic everything that he was doing _(like what a normal reflection would do)_. However, for some reason he refused to mimic him act like a baboon _(which made Arthur question his sanity and the reflection to just stand there and smile)._

"Dude…he's…it's not my reflection, isn't it?"

"_It…it can't be really..."_

"Um…dude…what are you talking about?"

"_I…I only know something like this in one of my shows-"_

"Oh no. Oh no no no no no no no…it's not that one where the guy's flying around in a police box, isn't it?"

"Just listen to me! The only thing I know is that it may be a Siren…"

"_**Eh?**_ But that's only legend, right? A-a-a-a-a-a-and we're nowhere near the beach!"

"I-I know that…"

The reflection grabbed onto the sides of the mirror and began to hoist itself up, causing the both of them to scream like the little girls they are and flee the premise at the speed of sound.

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"Ah…I love doing that. I got that on camera too, if you want it!"

"_Um…how do you open this door again?"_

"Oh crap, I locked it from this side. Hold up, I'm unlocking it now."


	94. How the Olympics Works

If he was surrounded by any more British flags, he seriously thought that he was going to sit down on a quiet afternoon and drink pure British tea.

That was the only thought going through Rizal's head as he quietly toured the London streets, watching the humans string up anything and everything British: flags, soldiers, flags…um…ok, just flags, but he got the idea. The whole world was coming to England's most valuable commodity _(and by that, I mean Arthur's heart)_, and the patriotism just reigned among the people.

He couldn't help but wonder if the voting had anything to do with it. All Rizal knew was that the people bidding for the 2012 Olympics after Yao showed all of them off _("__**THAT'S**__ how to start them, aru!")_, the five cities ended up being between Spain, America, Russia, England and France. Ivan dropped out the first debate _(which made him sad, but he muttered something that he didn't catch)_, and Alfred fell out afterward. He couldn't help but feel glad when Antonio lost the bid _(he wanted to attend the games)_, something he didn't seem to mind either. And what seemed like an eternity of…"debate" between the two rivals _(and by debate I mean a four-hour strangle fest)_, Arthur finally won the duty of hosting the Olympics…

And that was because he was conscious a little longer than Francis was.

Don't tell them I said that.

From the corner of his eye, he could see the counter in Trafalgar Square ticking down the moments until the games would finally start. Ever since Arthur got the duty, he had been working nonstop to get the city ready. For the people, it was cleaning the streets, building up coliseums, and what not. For nations, it's a little easier. Arthur had been working out exclusively to increase the chances of sun in London _(he learned that working out regularly seemed to regulate the weather…if it works)_, and because of that everything had been running smoothly, with few distractions.

Except those riots.

But those are over.

"Hah! Enjoying the sites, island boy?"

"…island boy? _**That's**_ the insult you wanted to use?" Rizal turned to a rather happy Arthur. The patriotism was giving him a lot of energy. "If that was the one term you were going to use, I suggest you go to the mainland for a few minutes of cooling time. Heaven forbid you go as nuts as Alfred when he did it."

"Hey! I insult you like a _**proper**_ English gentlemen!" Arthur waved his arms around. "My pixies and I made sure that everything was settled and ready for the games. That way, we can beat the entire world fair and square…like _**true**_ Olympians!"

"…you sound like Heracles."

"I know that! Hah, I haven't felt this alive since my pirate days!"

"_Geez, I wonder."_

The truth was that Rizal was somewhat jealous of Arthur's position. He and his sister never really hosted the games before _(maybe due to the fact that the whole freaking island didn't fit the world, who knows)_, and he secretly really wanted to. Whenever a country was named to host the Olympics, the human personification was given a bracer similar to what the Greeks would wear during battle: gold if it were the summer Olympics, silver for the winter. Having that on them was a true symbol of national pride, and whenever the Olympics drew near, each nation would wear that said brace and literally _**feed **_off the energy of the people ready to see the world.

The results were rather mixed…on the weird side.

Every time Alfred would have the brace on, his energy spike would go so high that sometimes he would not be able to sleep for days. It was extremely bad during the games in Los Angeles: in fact, during the times he couldn't really sleep, he would see him surfing the waves and then _**run on top of them**_ just to burn off the energy. Poor Alfred did not sleep during the entire games, and after they were done he literally fell asleep the entire week after. Nevermind the fact that Ivan was still the Soviet Union then…and nevermind the fact that he got the title because the other guy dropped out.

He didn't bother to attend the games when Antonio was hosting it, but from what Charice told him when he had the brace on, he literally descended back into his old pirate days. Fortunately, he did nothing to harm Charice because Alfred was still rather protective of her _(and by still he meant __**CRAZY)**_, so he ended up just training with the athletes all together. Thanks to the siestas that his boss forced on him, he was the only of the hosting nations that had a normal sleep schedule and hence was able to wake up the next morning after the games were over.

But the worst offender had to be poor Matthew. Due to his cold environment, he was able to hold onto the Winter bracer without too ill of an effect. Yeah, the patriotism was still there, but it didn't feed him enough energy to turn him into the next America. It was the only time he had the Summer bracer that things got weird. The first time he had it on, he immediately passed out from the overdose of patriotism. The minute he woke up, he was Alfred in Matthew's body. He didn't speak in whispers, could not shut up, and was bragging about how he was going to win all the games and be **awesome** like that. Unfortunately, his team won no gold metals. Like Alfred, he passed out once they were over.

The only nation that seemed to benefit from everything was Heracles himself. When he had the bracer on, not only did he feel at peace, he actually didn't feel tired anymore. He was a full-fledged athlete. Too bad he forgot everything that happened.

Rizal quietly wished that he had the chance to hold onto at least one of the bracers. Hell, his brother Juan had been a host of the games _(and all the energy made him go around hitting on women in as many accents as he sought fit…and it WORKED)!_ Couldn't help but wish he had it at least once…

"So how many scones have you downed this time?"

"I have no idea!" Arthur laughed. "I was too busy costing up the ultimate spell on my enemies!"

"I thought you wanted to win this fair and square."

"_**NOT WHEN I'M AROUND!"**_

_Oh sheesh._ "OK, have fun with that while I do my best to avoid you."

"Get ready to lose, Rizal! _**Like you always do!"**_

"At least I'm gonna be able to sleep tonight!"

"_**WHO NEEDS SLEEP?"**_

_Crap, he's turning into Alfred._


	95. Matthew Williams VS The World

**Don I have no idea why I'm writing this at all. But all I know is that I really want to see this movie.**

**/=+=/**

"You know…out of all the meetings we've went to, I don't think any of them were in Toronto before…"

"That's because no one ever seems to realize that Canada is not a state of America." Rizal sighed. "Not that Matthew's helping. Do you know how many movies were shot in Toronto but claimed to be Los Angeles?"

"Oh, is that it?"

"It's cheaper for movie makers, I heard." He answered. "By the way, we're at the airport already."

Charice looked outside her window and watched as the plane finally landed in the Toronto Airport. The two siblings quietly leave the terminal to the baggage claim, grabbing their bags and heading outside to hail a cab. To Rizal's surprise, there were a lot of people running around holding something invisible in their hands. Were they bags…?

"_Charice! Rizal! Over here!"_

"Eh? Did you hear something, kuya?"

"I did…?"

Rizal turned his head around and noticed that there was a car parked just a few feet away from them. A semi-transparent figure was waving for their attention, a figure that he quickly identified as Matthew. He thought that it was probably his genes that is making him hard to see _(with every single nation in the world having a hard time trying to see this guy, he figured it might've been genes)_, but to his surprise, he couldn't help but notice a little girl walking with a mother pointing out just how the man is turning invisible.

_He really was turning invisible…_

"Charice, over there."

"Hah? Ah~ Mattie~!" She hugged him. "I didn't notice you there! How'd you get here before our plane landed?"

"_I had a hunch."_ He smiled. _"Everyone's going to be staying at the same hotel, so I figured that I would drive you there myself."_

"Oh, thanks." Rizal nodded. "I'm taking the front seat this time."

"_**Aw…"**_

**/=+=/**

Rizal was looking outside the window as he watched Toronto life zoom by the car. To his credit, it really looked nothing different from a typical American city: the majority of the signs were in English, and no one could be blamed that everyone looked like calmer Americans. Plus, people were speeding as normal-

"Matthew…are you speeding?"

"_Eh? Of course not."_

"But you're going really fast."

"_Oh, that. I'm just hitting the speed boosts."_

***beat***

"What."

"_Well, come to think of it, there are a lot out there lately…"_

"Matthew, you do know **that's not what I meant.**"

"_Oh, right. Charice gets it though, right?"_

"Totally~" She leaned forward and held his seat. "OK, you see those arrow thingies on the road? When you drive over them, it speeds you up over at least fifteen miles. There are limits to them though: you can't go over the speed limit, it doesn't work when your car has anyone under the age of 21, it freezes up after someone goes over it for a few seconds for a charge-"

"Wait a minute _**wait a minute."**_ Rizal turned to Matthew. "You have _**speed arrows**_ on your roads?"

"_Only in Toronto. Other places prefer using ramps. The police say that it helps slow criminals down."_ He answered. _"Don't worry though, I have extra lives for all of you."_

"Yaaaay! Thank you, Matthew!"

"Extra lives? For WHAT?"

"_In case we accidentally get into a car accident."_

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**/=+=/**

"_Here's the hotel."_

"Wow…" Charice looks up. "It looks really big."

"_Toronto is next to Niagara Falls, so I have to at least make it big enough for staying tourists."_ Matthew smiled. _"Everyone else is inside, so we can start our meeting if you want."_

"Meeting? But it's night fall." Rizal was confused.

"_Well, I have to explain a few things to everyone so that they don't go into shock."_

"…you mean the speed boosts, don't you."

"_That's not the only thing, you know."_ Matthew smiled. _"That's only the feature that affects every day life. Foreigners tend to get other strange things…"_

Rizal stared at him in confusion as Matthew led them through the hotel. For one thing, they had to use scanners just to use the elevator. Charice, on the other hand, was loving it. She couldn't help but question if mugging people would help her get money. He had to drag her around on a leash.

Once they were finally able to get to the meeting hall, Rizal noticed with shock that they already figured out the strange workings of Toronto. Alfred was already showing off martial arts he never knew, and Ivan was demonstrating something that looked like telekinetic powers. That and Feliciano was still pulling something out of his backpack.

"Ve…so many pasta boxes here…!"

"_If you two don't mind…"_ Matthew went to the head of the table. _"Um…excuse me…"_

Nothing was paying attention. They were too busy yelling at each other and finding out more interesting things about their super powers.

"_You might have already known about your super powers, but please let me say something once."_ He continued, even though no one was paying attention. _"This is only temporary, until you leave Toronto. As long as you stay here, the powers are yours."_

No one was saying anything, still exploring their powers.

"_All video game logic applies here. In that case, we can all play mini-games similar to Mario Party and still be safe-"_

"_**NOOOOOO NOT MARIO PARTY!"**_

"Holy crap."_ Someone was listening._ Must be a Canada thing.

"_That's right."_ He smiled. _"We can play Mario Party…live action."_

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"_**I CALL BUMPER BALLS!"**_

"_**FUCK YOU, BURGER BASTARD!"**_

"_**Oh please! You're just mad because you suck at that game!"**_

"_**NO I DON'T! You're talking about the one with the Chain Chomps!"**_


	96. EUROVISION 2012

**Guess what I just got into. I know, I missed it, so for all you Eurovision nuts who saw 2012: I didn't see it, don't fully understand it yet, so good chance I may mix up on performance dates. In that case, just assume they all attended both days, kay?**

**/=+=/**

"Hey, Rizal! Charice! Guess what!" Alfred grinned. "I got tickets!"

"Eh?" Rizal looked up. "Where?"

"To Azerbaijan, of course!"

"To what-exactly?" Charice leaned forward in confusion. "Why?"

"It's a _**country**_, first of all." Alfred grinned even wider. "Not only that, but I finally was able to get four tickets…**TO THE EUROVISION SEMI-FINALS!"**

"_**UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! **__**ARE YOU SERIOUS?**_ That's so freaking awesome!" Charice started clapping so fast that Rizal could barely see half of it. "I've always wanted to go see Eurovision so badly!"

"Yeah! Hopefully Liam doesn't win again! Seriously, I'm thinking he cheats to get all those wins."

"That's mean! Ireland does a lot of work to get good singers!" Charice waved her finger. "But hell! We finally get to see Eurovision up close!"

"Hell yeah! I'm sick of watching it on YouTube!" Alfred brought his tickets up. "They're deciding the whole order thing right now, so we should be able to get there in time for the performances!"

"Wait, wait, wait wait wait." Rizal stood up. "What is Eurovision?"

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"_**I don't know you."**_

"And with that tone of voice, neither do I." He turned to Charice. "What the heck is Eurovision?"

"OK, do you know American Idol?"

"Yeah, obviously."

"It's…sort of like that. Only every single nation gets to pitch in a singer and a song. And they vote for the winner."

"Is this the Hunger Games?"

"Only no one dies and we have no idea who the singers are and other people write their songs."

"…huh. So we're visiting Kiral then. All right."

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"Who the hell is Kiral?"

"That's…Alfred, that's his human name. I thought you knew this!"

"Dude, I suck at human names!"

"_Oh forget it."_ Rizal sighed. "So we're going there now, right? Are we bringing anyone else with us?"

"Yeah, Matthew's comin' too. If anything, he wants pictures of Crystal Hall."

"Dude, I've seen pictures and it's so pretty~!" Charice clapped her hands. "I want to go so badly!"

"We're going, we're going!" Alfred laughed. "Don't worry! And better news: everyone else is coming!"

"_**ARE YOU SERIOUS?**_ Kiku and Lin Yi? Sweet, we get to fangirl at everything~!"

_What the hell did I just walk into?_

**/=+=/**

Rizal had to literally wait with the three of them as they were waiting for a cab to bring them to the meeting place where they will meet up with the other group, so he decided that during the wait he was going to go online and check out this whole Eurovision business. Fortunately, everyone here was so hyped for the show that no one seemed to notice him.

According to what he found, the whole thing was created by Switzerland _(OUT OF ALL PEOPLE)_ in 1956 when a still broken European continent was trying to piece itself back together and the EBU _(in Switzerland)_ decided that there should be some light programming for the whole continent to watch during their recovery. Rizal quickly made the connection between this show and a kiddie flick. They all met up in Monaco to decide to do so to test the live-broadcasting technology that was still in development, and seven countries _(Germany included, Rizal noted) _decided to throw in the dice. It quickly became popular and turned to…this.

As for the process of the show, he found it rather interesting. Because the actual show occurs through only three days, rehearsals for each countries' performance start at least two weeks before the Eurovision hype even begin, and the host country has to make sure that anyone that enters the contest _(from performers to delegates to anything)_ get to and from their rehearsal places intact as well as get someone to be the representative of the EBU.

Two rehearsals are usually down at this time: one so that the performers can get a feel for what the stage looks like and how they can work around it, and another is done with the artistic director present so that they can work out on the technical things such as the lighting and the camera angles that would give the performance a little "kick". At the same time, another country _(usually one that already had or about to get a rehearsal)_ would be having a press conference telling their representative natives…whatever press conferences ask of them. Rizal never really knew about it.

After that and three dress rehearsals _(no one can ever be sure about what they're doing)_, they allow the public to watch these dress rehearsals, even those that already went to the finals! He figured it was because of the show. In fact, to his surprise, when the dress rehearsal for the finals start, most countries already cast their votes, meaning that at least 50% of the votes are already in the ballot before the show even starts. _Is that even legal?_

As for the voting, he noticed that it goes as a positional voting system. On the first semi-final, countries vote _(not for themselves, that's cheating)_ on the song they like on the scale of 1-8. If they like the song, they give out a 10. If they _**really**_ like the song, they give it a 12. Recently, due to so many countries voting at the same time and clogging up screen time, any nation that voted 1-7 is automatically shown up on the board, and the nations that get an 8, 10 or 12 are read out loud…like rubbing it in or something.

The two semi-finals break up the countries into their own groups, and they are told to perform on that certain day. Three nations are chosen to vote on each day, and the top ten nations from each of these days are then headed to the finals, where the whole continent would vote on the winner. It was a bit messy, but whatever, he figured. Only six nations don't participate in this elimination process and are automatically progressed to the finals _(in this case, it would include the host nation, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK)_, instead they were part of the voting business.

"Hey, Rizal! They're here, we gotta go!"

Rizal sighed, grabbing his laptop and heading into the huge truck they happened to get. He filed in, noticing that among them were most of the Asian nations as well as Australia with his micronation sitting next to him in wonder of what was going on. There was not one European country in sight.

"No…Europeans here?"

"They're at their performer's rehearsals, da ze!" Yong Soo stated. "From what I heard, they're really making sure that their performances are top notch!"

"Yeah, this is like bragging rights for them." Lin Yi continued. "Something they can only have, unshared with the rest of the world."

"…what?"

"Don't worry, this is the first time I'm hearing of this too." Sun Tam sighed, tying up her hair again. "Hopefully, this is entertaining."

"Vietnam!"

"We're in a public place."

"…Sun Tam…you're going to enjoy this, I swear!" Alfred grinned. "Cultural references all over this place!"

**/=+=/**

With how many people were coming into these shows, Rizal could not help but be shocked by the fact that Alfred was able to get enough seats for the small group of nations to go and watch. What's even weirder was that they were near the stage _(front row seating!)_ and no one's trying to elbow them or something.

Around them, it felt like millions of people were in this auditorium, shouting out national pride and cheering for their performers to be good. Many of them were holding flags of their countries, and he couldn't help but feel…really out of it, like he didn't belong. He turned his head and-

"_**HEY!"**_

"What?" Alfred grinned.

"What the hell are you doing waving American flags in a European auditorium?"

"He's not the only one, da ze! See, I got mine too!"

"OK, what the hell is going on?"

"Don't sweat it! This is a place to show national pride, sort of like the Olympics!" Charice handed over one of her flags. "Here, you'll need it!"

Rizal stared at her with a blank look on his face before taking the flag and waving it quietly among the swarms of people _(apparently all from Denmark)_ who were chanting and cheering and screaming like it was a Justin Bieber concert. God knows it was just as stupid too…and then…

**/= [OPENING PERFORMANCE - AZERBAIJAN] =/**

He was speechless. Sure, he had experienced culture shock before, but this was definitely something he hadn't quite experienced before. He was having culture shock around millions of people who were just loving the performances of Muslims dancing around like Persians _(that's the best he can put it)_. And to his surprise…he was cheering as well.

"You're liking it?" Charice laughed.

"Yeah, I am actually!" Rizal laughed back. "This is just the first one, right?"

"Totally! Wait until you hear the others; from all the bragging I've heard, this is going to be the best year yet!"

**/= [PERFORMANCE – TURKEY "Love Me Back"] =/**

"_This sounds rather fun!"_ Matthew tried to scream out.

"I feel like I should be on a boat or something." Sun Tam answered.

"I'm not a fan of the singing, aru…" Wang Yao sighed. "What about you-?"

Apparently, Alfred, Yong Soo and Charice were holding hands and singing like they were drunk and were pirates on a ship, not caring about anything and apparently were drunk on the atmosphere. Rizal, not knowing what to do, ending up laughing at it and continued to clap with the song…when…

"**NICE BOAT, TURKANS!"**

_Fuck you, Alfred, for ruining the moment._

**/= [PERFORMANCE – AUSTRIA "Woki Met Dem Popo"] =/**

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"I have the very distinct feeling that Gilbert was the cause of this." Kiku leaned in.

"I have that very same feeling as well." Rizal answered with a shrug. "Well, people like pop now, so…"

"This sort of ruined the moment we sort of had."

"I know…this makes it feel extremely like American Idol…"

**/= [PERFORMANCE – GERMANY "Standing Still"] =/**

Rizal couldn't help but note this song as his guilty pleasure. It sounded rather beautiful, and he found himself singing along as the drunken pirates continued to butcher the song with whatever. The cheers were subdued, almost as if no one wanted to cheer in case they would ruin the moment. He couldn't help but chuckle. Maybe this was the song Roderich wanted before Gilbert got a hold of whatever the hell the other one was.

"Rizal, are you blushing?"

"_**Shut up, Yong Soo."**_

**/= [PERFORMANCE – ITALY "L'Amore E Femmina"] =/**

"_**HOLY CRAP, AMY WINEHOUSE CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD!"**_

"_**SHUT UP, ALFRED!"**_

_Huh…_ Rizal blinked. _I like this song._

This time, Lin Yi, Charice and Sun Tam were the ones who were singing along. The guys immediately noticed that it was indeed Amy Winehouse. No one had to say anything about it, at least people liked the show.

**/= [PERFORMANCE – SWEDEN "Euphoria"] =/**

"Duuuuude…this song makes me feel like I'm on acid…"

"Dude, you're already on acid." Rizal shrugged.

Apparently, everyone was on acid, cause the whole row was dancing as hard as they could to get on the same performance level as the girl that was dancing awesomely on the stage. He had to go ahead with the dancing in order to make sure that he didn't get knocked out of the row and hit his head on one of the cameras.

"I'm going clubbing later!" Charice suddenly screamed. "Who's with me?"

The whole column cheered, making Rizal facepalm so much that he wanted to sigh so much.

**/= [PERFORMANCE – SPAIN "Quedate Conmigo"] =/**

The song was oddly soothing to Rizal's ears. His merry band of misfits and drug addicts _(apparently)_ weren't cheering or messing anything up or shouting memes at the stage. Instead, they were closing their eyes and enjoying what they were hearing as well. It sounded so beautiful, better than most that he had heard thus far, and he kind of wished she would win-

"The singer's representing Spain, you know."

"_**God dammit."**_

**/= [PERFORMANCE – RUSSIA "Buranovskiye Babushiki"] =/**

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"What?"

"My feelings exactly."

"Um…" Rizal rubbed his chin. "It's…_**original**__."_

"That's the word I was looking for…" Li Xiao looked at him in confusion, wondering if that was the word he was seriously contemplating. "At least it doesn't sound like something Alfred would make in his sleep!"

"_**HEY!"**_

"That's a plus."

**/= [PERFORMANCE – HUNGARY "Sound of Our Hearts"] =/**

"This sounds like something Roderich would write!" Sun Tam stated. "Do you think that maybe he was working on Elizabeta's the entire time?"

"Probably not, since this is an all-out barge!" Charice answered. "But I like this a lot! Reach your hands out and call out your sign!"

"My wha-?"

"_**Wind!"**_

"_**Water!"**_

"_**Heart!"**_

"Who the fuck wants heart, anyway?"

**/= [PERFORMANCE – FRANCE "Echo (You and I)"] =/**

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"Um…girls?"

"W-what is it, Kiku?"

"The song's over."

"Eh? Someone was singing? All I saw were the shirtless guys!"

_And this is yet another blow to Francis's career._ Rizal shook his head.

**/= [PERFORMANCE – UNITED KINGDOM "Love Will Set You Free"] =/**

"Well, at least I know why Arthur doesn't win that much!"

"I know…his music is always so _**plain**_…like his tea!"

"At least it's pretty good…" Rizal shrugged. _Next to whatever the hell Roderich gave us._

**/= [PERFORMANCE – DENMARK "Should've Known Better"] =/**

_Finally._ Rizal sighed with a smile. _A NORMAL performance._

He felt that it was safe for him to clap and sway like he was in a normal performance, something the group of nations decided that they could do as well. What struck them odd is that her voice sounded as good as if it was from a radio. Rizal made a note that he should look her up later.

**/= [PERFORMANCE – GREECE "Aphrodisiac"] =/**

"I think this was what Roderich was trying to achieve with his song." Alfred said.

"Maybe." Lin Yi answered. "Yao?"

"It's more catchy…somewhat Greek on the song…" Yao turned around. "Charice-"

"_**WOOOOOOO!"**_

**/= [PERFORMANCE – SWITZERLAND "Unbreakable"] =/**

_**[It's around this time when I'm watching the videos that I finally realize what the number on the corner of the screen is D:]**_

"I can dig it!" Alfred started head banging.

"Not winner worthy, but good show material." Li Xiao nodded.

"I think it's fun." Rizal grinned with a chuckle. "I feel awesome wearing this jacket now."

"I have strange flashbacks to Arthur's rock mode…" Kiku rubbed his chin.

"_**OW!"**_

"_W-what is it, Alfred?"_

"Head banged too much…"

**/= [PERFORMANCE – NORWAY "Stay"] =/**

"_**WHAT THE FUCK IS JUSTIN BIEBER DOING HERE?"**_

"That's not Justin Bieber!" Li Xiao smacked him.

"Wait…that beat…_**WHAT'S BROWN EYED GIRLS DOING HERE, DA ZE!"**_

"That's not them either!" Li Xiao smacked him too.

Rizal looked up to see that someone that looked like Justin Bieber from a distance came up through the lights, and from the hood he could barely see his face, until…

"_**WHAT THE FUCK IS TAYLOR LAUTNER DOING HERE?"**_

"Dammit, Alfred…"

**/= [PERFORMANCE – BELARUS "We Are the Heroes"] =/**

"_**I LOVE THIS SONG ALREADY!"**_

"_Oh fuck, Alfred's going insane."_

"Why not?" Rizal chuckled. "This is a good song!"

"But…it's about heroes."

"_**FUCK YEAH we're the heroes!"**_

**/= [PERFORMANCE – ESTONIA "Kuula"] =/**

Rizal noticed something weird. He turned his head around and noticed that there were many people lifting up their Estonian flags and waving them in the air as the notes started to echo among the halls. He looked up and realized something rather interesting about this whole Eurovision idea.

It made European countries equal to each other.

Estonia was not a big country to begin with, especially next to the other big hitters such as Norway _(I guess?)_ and France, especially in the political sense. But in a place like there, where music is distributed equally among the people, anyone could be the biggest star, including Estonians, next to the big nations of the world.

There was really nothing on this stage that counted as a gimmick. Turkey had those capes that turned into a boat, many of the nations had the band there doing something and dancing to be dressed up in funky costumes, Sweden had some sweet dancing from the main girl, Norway had…whatever the hell that was. Here, there was no one on the stage except for him and the background singer. And the song was even more beautiful than before.

**/= [FINALS] =/**

"Wow…Sweden won."

"Yeah…I kinda saw that coming." Kiku looked at everyone. "Did you?"

"I kinda wished Estonia would win." Sun Tam rubbed her chin.

"Whatever. As long as Norway didn't win." Alfred shivered. "One Justin Bieber was enough."

"Hey, kuya. Did you enjoy yourself?"

"I actually did." He answered with a small smile. "I'm willing to go next year, if we're able to."

"That I can't guarantee. But I'll be betting for those tickets."

**/=+=/**

**I'm sorry for the random info dump that was in the beginning of the chappie. I just got into Eurovision, and because I have a bit of history with the backstage, I can't help but enjoy all the aspects of a performance, even the stuff you don't see that go on for MONTHS. I think learning about the amount of time that go into the performances make it more interesting to watch :D**


	97. Happy Birthday, Rizal!

**Oh hey! There're images associated with our stories! Anyone want to draw the story art of my fanfics? Huh? Well, I tried…**

**/=+=/**

"Well, it's finally here."

Rizal couldn't help but sigh as he woke up that morning alone in the hotel room he booked. Today was his birthday: the 12th of June, and right now his country is rallying up everyone to have one big celebration from being free from the clutches of that bastard Antonio after so many years of being annoying and oppressive. Of course, seeing as how Charice has a different birthday _(April 27__th__…he wondered why that was)_, he figured that he might as well give her his celebration while she gets to celebrate her second birthday of the year in the arms of her people.

That basically translates into "he fled the continent because he didn't want the party and attention" and "he's now currently in Germany for some reason".

Of course, he wasn't going to stay in Berlin. That would be too obvious. Many nations that go travelling tend to stay in the famous or capital cities just because of work or tourism. That's why he was hanging out in Bremen, a few ways away from the shore, and with nothing of major interest for any nation to take a look in. Then again, this was the city that Rizal ended up in once he came out of the airport, so he decided that he might as well hang around.

He walked out of the hotel and wandered the city, listening to the German citizens talking to each other about the nice day and the fact that there was no rain above their heads. Rizal wondered why he constantly found himself wandering back to this country when he needed alone time. Granted, it can't be because it's a German thing: he could've went to Austria or even Switzerland if that was the case…

"Wallenlagan…?"

It was a park, so he figured that he might as well take a wandering around the place. It was a park, after all, and he figured that there might as well be somewhere else he can go in this city. It was the capital of the providence, so there must be something…but then again, he really was finding himself distracted by many of the flowers there. Rizal couldn't really count the number of species of flowers that would never grow in the tropical environment of his home…

"Rizal?"

"Ah-!" He turned his head, and took a huge sigh. "Oh…Ivan. Sheesh, I thought you were ate for a minute."

"Well, I'm not~" The Russian tilted his head. "What are you doing all the way over here at this time?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Today's your independence day; shouldn't you be with your people?"

"Today is _**your**_ independence day, da?"

"It's Charice's this year. I'm taking a break from the festivities for one year. What's your excuse?"

"…_sestra Natalya is there…"_

"Oh. Well, welcome to Bremen, Germany." Rizal shrugged. "Why you didn't choose America or China is beyond me."

"_Natalya found me there last time…"_

"…oh. She's getting good."

"Yeah…so I decided to hide here. I figured that if I was going to bump into someone, it might as well be you…"

"I guess. Everyone else is probably heading over to my house to celebrate my birthday, so…"

"Do you want a cake?"

"Eh…I personally don't want a celebration-"

"Can we get a cake? _**Please**_ please please?"

"You just want a cake, don't you?"

"Yes~"

"…fine."

"Yaaay~"

**/=+=/**

For some reason, Rizal found himself looking for a cake with Ivan. Ivan was choosing every single flavor that looked nice, but after a while Rizal was able to get him to settle down and deal with just an ordinary black forest cake with milk chocolate instead of dark _(dark chocolate is for dieters)_. They sat at a small table and began chewing on their slices of cake.

"So how do you feel about celebrating your birthday in a foreign country?"

"It's a nice change of pace. You're not doing the same thing as you always do on a birthday." He answered. "Besides, I wanted something European sweet for my birthday."

"Not Asian sweet?"

"There's a difference, you know. Eat as much Asian food as I have and you'll taste it."

"Hmmm." Ivan started eating his cake. "Whatever it is, I like our version of sweet~"

"Well, we have the sugar cane. That's a natural sweet…and sometimes, I just want artificial."

"I see…" Ivan tilted his head. "Goodness, how many pieces of cake did you order?"

"Ivan, you ordered the entire thing. In English. Which meant I had to pay more."

"Ahahaha…sorry. I really wanted cake~"

_Doesn't the whole "don't-speak-English-outside-America-and-England" still apply here?_ "Just enjoy it while it lasts."

"Okay~"

Rizal stared at him in confusion as Ivan continued eating his cake, talking about wanting to be around a warmer environment for his birthday as a present to himself and aiming to European because he didn't want it to be that big of an adventure _(he also mentioned something about avoiding Spain so that he would bump into him, but he didn't catch it)_. After a while, Ivan placed the fork down.

"So why didn't you bring Charice along?"

"Eh?"

"On your adventure of the German-landscape?"

"First of all, this trip was so I could get away from her. Second, she's having the celebrations this year."

"So she's celebrating your birthday?"

"Well, we were too busy to celebrate hers, so this is the payoff I gave her." He answered. "I don't really mind it, though. Not a fan of parties."

"I've noticed. You never really like our office parties."

"I would like them more if we actually got work done."

"But we do, da?"

"…no we don't."

"Aw…you make me sad."

"I'm a pessimist, what can I say?"

"That's not a healthy way to go through life, you know!"

"Well, it works, doesn't it?"

"Maybe. But it won't work forever."

"That's what my sister is for. She's the optimist of the family."

"I guess, but you deserve to be optimistic for once. It makes you a lot happier." Ivan looked to the side and placed down his fork. "I need to go to the bathroom. Make sure no one takes my plate?"

"Um…sure."

Rizal watched as the Russian walked into the building, looking around for a bathroom that might be useful to him. Suddenly, he felt a familiar presence behind him, and he turned his head around to see that it was none other than Ludwig, looking at him with a confused look on his face.

"Rizal? What are you doing here?"

"Getting away from the chaos back at home."

"But it's your birthday, isn't it?"

"Well, I don't like the parties and stuff, so-" He paused. "How do you know it's my birthday?"

"Charice kept talking about it on her Facebook page, so I thought about calling you to wish you happy birthday."

"Isn't your office in Berlin?"

"I have offices in every capital city, one in each providence. It's more efficient that way."

"Oh…working now?"

"I'm actually on a lunch break." He stared at the cake in front of him. "Birthday celebration?"

"Ivan happened to be here, and he wanted the cake." Rizal answered. "We can't finish all of this, so do you want some?"

"Oh, uh…sure."

Rizal looked at him in confusion as Ludwig sat down and started to eat one small slice of the cake. Before he knew it, he found himself talking to Ludwig about the minor things: crazy older siblings, the large birthday parties, working overtime to protect their people from the economical collapse, 2012 and how it got debunked by Espen, the usual stuff.

"So…how are you and Feliciano?"

"He's working overtime right now. He has to work on his economy because he is extremely sick…" Ludwig looked extremely worried.

"I heard. Most of us are suffering a bit as well." Rizal ate his cake. "Then again, I also have a freaking spat with Yao that we have to deal with…"

"How is that working out?"

"Eh…I'm trying not to get Alfred into this, because he's trying to get along with his people and he got a whole war to worry about." Rizal leaned back. "I'm worried that all my effort will be for naught."

"This happens a lot, Rizal. It'll happen a lot when you're a nation."

"Yeah, I guess." He answered with a sigh. "It's hard work, but me and Charice are getting through it."

"That's good to hear. Nations need to be a bit more like you."

"Eh?"

"More than willing to go through work to save themselves."

"I think everyone is like that. They just like to party more often."

"You clearly don't know any of them that well."

"Huh?"

"Nothing, nothing…"

"All right…" Rizal smiled. "You know what? I kind of like this."

"Hm?"

"Oooh~ Ludwig's here with us?"

They both looked up and saw Ivan coming out of the bathroom with a smile on his face. He plopped on the chair and continued to eat his cake in peace. The Russian looked at the German with a smile before looking back to the Filipino as he bit another cake.

"_You're welcome."_

"_Hah?"_

Rizal looked up in confusion as he saw Ivan and Ludwig talk about their own lives. He leaned forward and started to listen to their conversation, smiling and enjoying the second piece of cake that he had in his plate.

_Yeah, I like this kind of party…only the close friends are here, and all we do is talk and enjoy ourselves. Nothing major, nothing elaborate…everything…is what I wanted._

**/=+=/**

**Happy birthday, Rizal! From the United States of…well, my house?**


	98. The Olympics: Day 1

Charice and Rizal had to admit that with all the hard things that were happening between them and Yao, being here for the opening Olympics had to be the best thing that's ever happened to them in a while.

Both of them sat quietly in their seats _(surrounded by screaming Brits)_ as they waited for the show to begin. They could literally take hours trying to count how many cameras were swarmed into the area, all from different countries talking about the same thing. Just the surge of energy in the room made the nations quite giddy.

"Man, I love the games!" Charice chirped. "With the amount of nationalism here, we could stay awake for days!"

"Which is not a good idea." Rizal answered with a huff. "How do you think Arthur feels about all this?"

"He's probably so high he's shooting opium as we speak."

"Opiu- _**what?"**_

They could hear the fireworks shooting up into the air, and the whole world started to cheer at the sight of them. Rizal couldn't help but stand and stare at everything that was going on. He wondered if this was the exact same thrill the Greeks felt when their Olympics came around…

"Curious again?"

"Oh hush."

"This only happens when you're excited!"

"_**Oh hush."**_

Charice giggled. Rizal always acted like a child whenever he was excited. They sat back down as they started watching all the small events that happened before lighting up the torches. They couldn't help but be entertained by the sheer amount of work that got into it _(though to tell you the truth, the minute Charice saw Dalmatians she was hooked)_. And then there was the James Bond clip.

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…

…

"Holy crap, is that the queen?"

**/=+=/**

"Man, these games are going to be the best, aren't they?"

"You always say that, ate. I mean, they're nothing more than huge tournaments. They just happen to have the whole world playing in it."

"Oh, you're talking about the people? No no no no no, I'm talking about us!"

"Us?"

"Yeah! Seriously, every time someone wins a medal, their adrenaline goes up so high that it's hilarious! You should see all the moments I've filmed, they're awesome!"

"…you didn't put them on YouTube, did you?"

"Nah. That's only when I need them for blackmail."

"Oh good lord…"

"Hey, no worries! I'm here for the games too! That's just at the top of my list!"

"…all right…"

"Besides, we all know why _**you're**_ here!"

"Eh?"

"To see if we'll get a gold medal!"

"…Charice, we'll always get a gold medal."

"Um…last time I checked-"

"_**Always."**_

"…_hey, you're the jealous one…"_

**/=+=/**

"So…Ludwig! I heard that Italy's gotten five medals already~"

"Yeah, so…?"

"And how many medals did you get, my friend?"

"Oh hush."

"I got three, da ze!"

"Yeah, one of each."

"At least I got gold!"

Charice was about to mumble to herself when she suddenly felt a strange surge of energy. Before their eyes, she started jumping around screaming for joy and was doing cartwheels all over the staircase. Poor Ludwig had no idea what was going on. Yong Soo, however, had a completely straight face.

"What's going on…?"

"America got a medal, da ze. She's just celebrating."

"Eh? Why is she celebrating for his win?"

"Because she's the next America."

"_**Whaaa?"**_

**/=+=/**

**Here in America, a lot of people were complaining about the fact that our star swimmer Michael Phelps ranked fourth in the swimming preliminaries. The fact that he won eight gold medals in the Beijing Olympics didn't help with his reputation either. Then again, they said he didn't get serious about the competition until a whole nine months before the opening ceremony. Dude, if I started my work nine months earlier, I'd be done. And they'd be awesome.**

**Fun fact about the Philippines Olympics wise: the Philippines had in fact won medals before. You just hadn't heard about it. They won a grand total of nine medals during the Olympics history, and with Mongolia getting a gold medal back in 2008, they are the top nation with the most medals with no gold. Here's a fun little tidbit: most of the sports they won was boxing XD**

**And as for the last little thing, I was talking with my father recently about the whole China-Philippines tension thing, and he brought up something strange: the Philippines and America have close ties with each other since WWII. That's not unusual. What's unusual is that while America can be quite hesitant in helping allied nations in certain situations **_**(I mean, come on. If we helped England sooner during WWII, the Nazis would've just been bad news)**_**, the Philippines jump to America's cause in a heartbeat. Heck, they were the first tropical nation to join the Winter Olympics But my father also mentioned that the Philippines were among the first nations to join America in the war in Iraq.**

**He concluded by saying that "the Philippines were more pro-American than America itself". Now, my father has been in America for quite some time, so I'm not sure if that's even true or not.**

**Now, you're all wondering why I've been updating less and less **_**(and by that, I mean not at all)**_**. I recently decided to upload the trial version of RPG Maker, and figured that I might as well make a game version of Persona Powers Hetalia. I'll try to get it up on YouTube if I can, but don't bet on it. K thx for understanding :D**


	99. Who is Rizal's Friends

**Rule of the day: Rizal has few, if any, friends. Many of the relations the Philippines has with other nations is usually associated with Charice since she's more outgoing. Hence, she's clingy to America, reads manga with Japan, fangirls over K-Pop bands with South Korea…all that good stuff. So who are Rizal's specific friends? Well…**

**/=+=/**

"This restaurant seems different from the other ones you've been taken me before, don't you think?"

"I thought we would try something new, da?"

"It's an Italian store in your homeland."

"But we do it differently, like you~"

_Probably not, but whatever floats your boat._

Rizal sighed as he opened up his menu, wondering if he could read any of this well enough for him to mask the fact that he can't speak any sense of good Russian at all. Fortunately, Ivan seems to be more than willing to translate for him. It took him literally fifteen minutes before he even had a good idea on what he could even order. Fortunately, Ivan didn't seem to mind.

"Is this place good?"

"I dunno. I just came here."

"You mean you just came here on a whim?"

"Well, technically, I knew that you had a fondness for Italian cuisine."

"Wrong Filipino."

"Eh? Oh, I'm sorry~" Ivan giggled. "I knew you liked food a lot."

"True. Can't deny myself a good meal, that's for sure."

"I'm glad that's true- whoops!"

A huge thud caught his attention, and Rizal turned his head down to see that there was a heart on the table before him, beating like it was still attached to him. The Filipino looked down at it in confusion and then back up to Ivan, who smiled and picked it up like it was nothing.

"Oh, sorry about that. It just happens sometimes." He slid it back into his chest.

"…does it hurt?"

"Ne?"

"Does that…hurt?"

"Sometimes. But I got used to it."

"That just makes you sound depressing."

"Not when I have friends like you around~"

"That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Wish I knew…it was hard making friends when I was little. Everyone kept picking on me and pushing me around…it was rather depressing."

"Two for two." Rizal sighed. "Then again, nations have to be pushed around to get stronger, don't they?"

"I know…I wish it didn't happen to me, though."

"Yeah…"

***thud***

"Oh Christ, not again."

"Hm…this is the second time that's happened…I never saw this happen twice in the same day."

"Well, we're really going to have to fix that."

Rizal sighed and stood up, heading to Ivan's side of the table, picking up the heart, and trying really hard to ram it inside the heart-shaped hole in his chest. Ivan was staring at him the entire time, touched by what he was seeing from the young boy. Even though few had seen his heart fall out of his chest, Rizal was the only one in his memory that has ever tried putting it back in on his own. Most just wonder what was going on. Then again, this is the first time it fell out twice…

"OK, Ivan. Quick question."

"Da?"

"Why in the world is it not staying in here?"

"What's wrong this time?"

"I keep getting this damn heart into your chest, and it slips out the other end." Rizal looked at his back. "Do you need to have something hard on your back or something?"

"Yes, but you don't need to do anything. I just need to lean back on this chair."

"Oh, OK."

Rizal tried it a third time, this time Ivan pushing it exactly where it was needed, and was happy when he saw it exactly where it was supposed to be. The Filipino stared at him with slight intrigue at what was going on when the waiter finally came with his food. The boy sat back down at his table and stared at him.

"Are you going to explain to me what that was, exactly?"

"Da."

**/=+=/**

"How many Pokémon games are out there, already?"

"I really don't remember, Rizal. I can only recall…five or six."

"So which one is that in your hand?"

"Oh, this one? This is Black."

"I figured that much, but what's the game called?"

"Pokémon Black."

"Very intelligent, Kiku."

"Hey, my people named it. I just play it."

"And my sister. And America. And Ladonia. And Canada. And Sealand-"

"I'm just that popular."

Rizal just rolled his eyes as he watched Kiku stare intently at his DS. It was decorated just for him _(Japanese stickers and all them Vocaloid signatures)_, so no one can **not** know what was his. And judging by the look on his face, he was in a heated battle with an NPC. That was the same face that Charice would always make, after all. After she lost.

"Yes~!" He pumped his fist. "I win again~"

"Big battle, I see?"

"It's online battles. Of course it was a big deal." Kiku grinned. "I trained my Pokémon well for this."

"I don't see what the big deal is. They're not real, and after the next game, they're going to be long forgotten."

"I WILL NEVER FORGET ALL 649 OF MY BABIES."

_Your what now?_ "Oh, is that so?"

"Yes, I do. Here, take my game and look up a Pokémon named Lampler."

Rizal stared at him as he took Kiku's game from him and opened up the Pokedex. As usual, everything was in hiragana and hence he had no idea what he was looking for. He ended up just scrolling through everything in the Unova Pokedex hoping that Kiku would just get annoyed and show it to him.

"Um…I'm guessing that it's this one."

"All right, yes." Kiku nodded. "Lampler: this Pokémon feeds off the soul of the recently deceased. They travel to those that are near death and steal their soul."

_Wha-?_

"Now read me what it says."

"…um…"

"What is it now?"

"I can't read hiragana."

"Oh…oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were Charice."

"Thanks." Rizal stared at the screen. "Are all Pokémon this messed up?"

"No, not really. Unova is a lot calmer than the other regions." Kiku nodded. "I mean, there's Chillaccino, a Pokémon that can't help but clean whatever it finds dirty-"

"Pokémon with mental disorders? Really? I was expecting a Pokémon that can, like, punch through mountains and stuff, not a squirrel suffering from genetic OCD."

"It's better than Desumasu, which is a reincarnation of human being-"

"_**WHAT?"**_ Rizal turned to him in confusion. "That is the most messed up thing I ever heard from this game! Where the hell is this game based off of? Your graveyards?"

"Dude, Kiku! Nice job there!"

The two of them turned their heads to see Alfred burst into the room, holding his DS proudly and laughing at the notion that Kiku just beat him for the tenth time _(even though "he used a Zorark", whatever that was)_. After a few long minutes of whatever, Rizal turned back to Kiku, who sighed and gestured toward him.

"_Him?"_

"_Hai."_

"…_you have one messed up thought process, you know that?"_

**/=+=/**

There he was, Rizal Pacquiao, back in a German country _(haha, it's AUSTRIA this time)_, being led by Ludwig around the city of Vienna, wondering if there was a part of Vienna that he hadn't seen already. Seriously, what is up with him and such a fascination toward anything German? Or Austrian? Or anything that speaks Germa- whatever.

"Are you looking for something specific here, Rizal?"

"No, not really. I'm just trying to avoid Elizabeta right now."

"And you do so by going into the land of her husband?"

"While she's all the way in China."

"Um…why are you avoiding her?"

"She just found out that I was bisexual."

"Oh."

Ludwig stared at him for a few seconds before sighing and wandering forward, making sure that the Filipino followed after him. The entire time, he was looking up at the rooftops, staring at all of the windows and designs. After a few minutes, he bumped into a confused German.

"What's wrong?"

"There's a bear here…"

Rizal looked down and realized that there was a bear before them, wandering around in confusion like he was looking for something. Without skipping a beat, he went to the next building and reached his arms out. Five seconds later, someone dropped straight into his arms, freaking out Ludwig.

"_**Gah!**_ What the-?"

"OK, Matthew? What the heck were you doing?"

"_Just…wandering the city."_ He answered in a weirdly deep voice that still sounded like Matthew. _"Finding someone."_

"Then do it on the ground. Why are you going over buildings?"

"_Practicing parkour."_

"…oh…whatever that means."

_The more I look at foreign countries, the more I'm wondering what the hell is going on…_

**/=+=/**

**Fun thing about Russia: his history completely consists of being bullied and picked on by nations who wanted to use his land for their own personal gain **_**(at least, that's what Hetalian history claims)**_**. Even better? Around the time that Prussia decided to start bullying him around, Russia finally snapped and finally became whatever the hell he is now. Yes. PRUSSIA SNAPPED RUSSIA INTO INSANE MODE. Take that into consideration. Also, the whole heart falling out of his chest thing? That was taken from a webcomic with Russia's heart falling in front of…I think China. Or France. I really can't remember.**

**/~/**

**Everyone's basically aware of the fact that Japan based the Pokémon realm of Unova off of New York and part of the Tri-State area, right? PETA was Team Plasma and all that good stuff? So someone explain to me why most of the Pokémon we find there are among the most messed up of entire franchise. I mean, come on: lanterns that steal and burn up one's soul? A sarcophagus that turns people into mummies? A pre-evolved form of that which is basically the reincarnation of **_**dead human beings**__**?**_** Seriously.**

**/~/**

**Here's a neat little seiyuu trivia **_**(to make up for my long absence from this fanfic)**_**: Katsuyuki Konishi, the seiyuu of America and Canada, is the Japanese dubover of Altair from Assassin's Creed. And parkour, the thing where everyone jumps over rails and buildings for short cuts and saying "fuck you" to everything there? Originated in France.**


	100. The Man in Red

**Wait a minute…100 chapters of the Philippine siblings going insane on the world? HOLY CRAP, I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE IT! Happy 100****th**** Chapter, guys! And I really didn't plan anything for something this epic. But you know what…I have a small idea. You see, everyone knows the Filipino history of when we were being ruled over, right? **

**How about the history right up to the Spanish colonization?**

**/=+=/**

No one knew where the girl had come from. Some say that she came from a small family filled with powerful witches. Others say that she just came to be. All they knew for certain was that whoever she was, she was outliving all of the people in every village that she has passed. No one seemed to mind that, for their world was filled with magical creatures.

As she wandered the islands, she learned of the many creatures that inhabited their land. She learned of the _duwende_, the goblins and gnomes who live in the houses and eat the crumbs of the people who live in them. She heard stories of the _aswang_, the enemy of all pregnant mothers who feeds on their unborn children in the middle of the night. She listened to the elders talk about _Manaul_, the king who caused the sea and sky to clash and form the islands that they stood upon. In her spare time, she would look for the _diwata_ that could live in the trees.

She couldn't help but see the world change as the years went on. Kingdoms began to rise among the lands that she would wander upon, and when she was in the Kingdom of Tondor, she was able to travel to a land far from her home. She was saddened by the fact that she didn't get his name; he seemed so nice and kind to her.

One island caught her attention. As she travelled down, she found herself awestruck by the new island that she had never seen before in her travels _(hah, here she believed that she actually had seen the world!)_. The villagers welcomed her warmly, for once not suspicious of the strange little girl that had entered their land. She had never seen something like that before, especially from her own people.

"Do not worry. We have predicted your arrival, young one."

She turned her head to see that a man was walking toward them, with long black hair and friendly eyes. Beforehand, she would have been scared of something like that, but there was something in his eyes that seemed to indicate that he had heard of her before. How strange…

"My name is Lapu-Lapu, duta of this land." He nodded. "The winds have grown calm before you came here, Diyan Masalanta."

"Oh…I see~" She giggled.

"I thought you would be older than your appearance. But then again, gods are unable to age, and I sense some of that in you, young one."

She followed the duta back to his hut, being anointed and celebrated with them throughout the night. She liked this place, and the name Diyan seemed to be really nice. Maybe she'll stay here for the rest of her life, and call herself Diyan from now on. Besides, she had never had a name before, and wandering does get her tired.

As her peaceful days went on, a messenger came in from the kingdom of Cebu and issued a message from the king: there were strange men with skin as white as milk on the island, issuing a message to provide food for their men and to convert to Christianity. The word alone scared her, and she had no idea what that actually meant.

The people began to talk to themselves, issuing that they should go to war with the pale men, and to prove to them just how strong they really can be. Lapu-Lapu, however, was quiet about the whole thing, preferring not to talk about it and instead would try to change the topic. Diyan decided that she was not going to talk about it, hoping that somehow he will find a way to make it all better.

One day, she noticed that someone had been coming through the village. He looked different from the other villagers, bearing two goats with him, and muttering something that sounded like a repeated message to himself. Instantly, a crowd formed around him, scaring the boy, and parting only to let the duta and Diyan come through.

"You are the son of Zuta."

"I-I mean no harm to any of you, nor does my father wish to declare war on your people." He answered. "I am passing by to obey the orders from the pale men, who wish to provide them aid and convert to whatever they want us to."

"I am afraid that I cannot let you do that."

"But, duta…if not, then these white men will come for us."

"Letting fear control your thoughts makes one a foolish warrior indeed. If these white men wish to come for us, then let them come." Lapu-Lapu immediately took the goats from him. "Go. Go to these white men, and tell them what I have said."

The boy said nothing, scared of what to do before finally running out of there. The people cheered, happy of what their duta had decided to do. Meanwhile, Diyan stood there quietly, happy that he had decided to fight back, but worried that he might have gone over his head.

**/=+=/**

There was a rousing of the crowd. Diyan stirred from her restless sleep and notice that a lot of them had started gathering weapons and were heading for the shores. She hid under the covers and watched as Lapu-Lapu joined the crowd. She waited until the crowds were clear, and then headed off after them.

She hid behind the houses closest to the shore, seeing that all of the men had gathered, and that there were other people on the other side. There were small boats that she had seen from the harbors before, but also three gigantic boats that she had never seen before, bigger than any village she had seen before. There were many people in the opposing crowd that she could identify _(one of them in particular, she noted, had smuggled her some fish when she was hungry)_, but it was the others that she couldn't figure out.

There were indeed pale men, with skins so white she thought she was staring at ghosts, wearing shiny clothes that nearly blinded her with the light bouncing off of them. Many had strange hair on their chins, and spoke so strangely that she couldn't identify what they were saying.

"Here ye all! We are not here to attack you!" One of them stated, another translating. "Instead, we are here to give you all a message. Lay down your arms and obey our mighty king of Spain. We are the governors of heaven above, and our king is the sovereign of all. Pay us our tribute and we will not harm you. Refuse, and you shall see how our lances wound."

She froze at the sight of the weapons that they had on them. Their weapons were small and made from bones and stones. Whatever these men had…their weapons glistened in the fire. They looked as if they had blood on them before. Diyan clung to the house, for the first time hoping that Duta Lapu-Lapu would give in, scared of the casualties.

"…we refuse."

There was a great clamor.

"Why must you be so proud about your lances? We have lances as well, with stakes hardened by fire." Lapu-Lapu stood fast. "We are not swayed by you, and we never shall be."

"Why you…!"

"Do not try to attack us at once. That is not an honorable method." Lapu-Lapu stated. "Proceed unto morning, where the sun god shall grace us with his presence. Only then shall you see how strong we really are."

There was really nothing they could do. The king of Cebu behind him was advising to do the same thing as well. With a huff, they turned and headed back to their ships, preparing to go out against a group of little _"savages"_, they called them.

That's when she noticed one of the men.

He was wearing a bright red jacket and hat, half of which should be covering his face. He was walking with a light step, yet was holding onto a weapon that was bigger than the rest of them, with blades on both sides of the stick it was occupying. She couldn't help but stare at him for such a long time, curious on why, out of all of the pale men, did he have such tanned skin.

Then he turned around.

Green eyes stared back at her, and instantly chills ran down her back. She flipped out of sight and charged back toward the duta's house, crying all the way and jumping into the bed to hide. As the men readied themselves for an oncoming attack, the image ran through her mind. That man…that green-eyed man…

Her mind wandered back to when she was taken to that foreign land, where everyone wore robes and spoke strangely. That man that was with her had been quite friendly to her, and she had felt that strange connection between the two of them, almost as if they had something in common. That connection…that was with this scary man as well.

The eyes as green as leaves in the dawn…

The evil that radiated from him…

He was one of them.

**/=+=/**

**And for you Americans who have no idea of Philippine history **_**(that's perfectly fine with you)**_**, here's some explanations :D**

**Lapu-Lapu**** – This guy was the one who killed Ferdinand Magellan when he went sailing around the world in the name of Spain. He is known as the first Filipino native to oppose the Spaniard colonization and hence the very first official Filipino hero. The thing that's weird about this guy is that no one really knows his real name. I use that one because that's the one my father told me, but the Internet also calls him "Çilapulapu", "Si Lapulapu", "Salip Pulaka", and "Kali Pulako". Whichever one you Filipinos prefer, I'll go with it. Just tell me which one you want me to use. And this may be just the ignorant American in me, but does the statue of him on the Wikipedia page look like He-Man, or is it just me?**

**Fun God Fact: Diyan Masalanta is the old goddess of love, fertility and childbirth.**

**Duta**** – The ruler of a certain land. Back before Spanish colonization, the Philippines was broken down similar to Japanese feudalization **_**(I believe?)**_**. There would be a king ruling over the land, sorta, but really the ones in charge of their own pieces of land were the duta, kind of like the warlords. In fact, one of Magellan's fateful mistakes was that he considered the king of Cebu to be the king of Mactan as well, the island that Lapu-Lapu was on. However, it is debated that because of the location of his land, Lapu-Lapu can intercept trade ships and could actually be stronger than the king of Cebu himself. Like feudal Japan, duta can't really influence the rules of another duta. Filipinos looking to find any related topics can find some similarities with Native Americans back in North America…I think.**

**And I'm pretty sure that Spain wasn't with Magellan when he went sailing around the world, but you know what? There was an Italian guy named Antonio that seemed to be recording everything that was going on, so…yeah. Couldn't help it.**


	101. President Barack Hussein Obama

**OK, it's been a while since I updated anything on my fanfiction page. It's probably because of the school time I had or the RPG Maker versions I've been making of Persona Powers Hetalia, but whatever, I'm alive. And yeah, I was also in the eastern coast during Hurricane Sandy **_**(me and my family are fine, by the way…free coats :D)**_**. So as you can probably see, life has been blegh. But at least Obama's gonna be our president for four more years. Yay~**

**OK, on that note, there is something I want to ask you **_**(mostly foreigners)**_** in the form of this chapter.**

**/=+=/**

Alfred sighed as he read the newspaper at his doorstep. The election was coming up again, and his people were soon going to be voting for his new boss. He remembered that a few years ago, he was expecting this day with a passion due to the idiot that he had beforehand, which fucked him up so hard he might as well been a brand new virus. His current boss, on the other hand, was a more interesting man.

He was also the first president which he actually doubted when he came into office.

The thing about Obama was that, while he was born an American _(in Hawaii though, so he doubted it just a little bit)_, most of his life was lived in Asia, so he never really got a good human connection with him before he started coming to the office. Not to mention that his middle name was Hussein, and with his current phobia about Arabs at this point, it didn't help when he started coming forward in the president elections.

Odd thing was that, now that he thought about it, he probably knew that his middle name was going to make it harder for him.

He couldn't really remember the last time a presidential candidate went onto so many talk shows _(Reagan, maybe)_. Maybe it was to dispel all of the rumors that were going around the candidate due to the color of his skin and the middle name. But he started to become more and more like a human the more he went on the TV set. If anything, Alfred stopped fearing the guy and began liking him more and more. He really started to want him for president. It was better than the other old guy that they got on the Republican side.

And then he was elected in.

He had to admit that he cheered a little when he was elected into office. Instantly, he started remembering the Civil Rights Movement that didn't happen that far off ago. Maybe it was because everyone else started remembering it, but he felt so at home with. Then again, his actual meeting with his new boss wasn't…that _**formal**_, to say the least.

The thing that he liked about Obama was that, unlike Bush, he admitted that this term that he was just given isn't going to be enough to fix America at all, and told him that he was going to do his best to treat the wounds that Bush had ripped open, at least so that it was easier for the next guy to fix up if he lost the next election. He can't remember the last president that was this truthful. Maybe it's because his children were still in elementary school.

And Obama delivered on his promises. While he didn't do everything, he's at least ending the war and moved the job market into the positive _(albeit not by much)_. If anything, the random sneeze fests had stopped, so they both deemed that he was doing a lot better than before. Part of him wished that he could be elected for four more years…if people were willing to give him that time. With a lot of people turning into red states and this weird "Project Orca" Romney was going to use…

_***ring***_

"Huh…who's calling me now?" He quietly picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"_**Hey, Alfred?"**_

"Oh, Matthew. Hey bro." Alfred grinned. "You're not one to call me out of the blue."

"_**Well, I thought I should call you in case you want to hear something interesting. Most of my people don't hate your boss anymore."**_

"Well, good for them, I guess. I don't hate him as much, either."

"_**Yeah, so…I just wanted to ask you something…you don't have to listen, but…is there a way for you to keep your boss for four more years?"**_

"All I can do is vote and hope that everyone else votes for the same guy." Alfred sighed. "But if I can find a way to cheat the system, I'll let you know."

"_**OK…thanks."**_

The phone immediately hung up, leaving Alfred staring at his phone in confusion. He stared at the phone for a few more minutes before looking around, hoping he was not being pranked right now, before the phone rang again. This time, caller ID found the name: England.

"Yo, dude. What's up?"

"_**I'm here to ask something from you. I'm not going to beat around the bush, all right?"**_

"I'm not doing that again, you know that. Remember when we got caught?"

"_**WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!? THAT STUFF NEVER HAPPENED, I TOLD YOU!"**_

"Says the weird noise I heard before~"

"_**Oh shut the hell up…anyway, that favor."**_

"What is it this time?"

"…_**can you try and keep your competent boss in office for at least four more years? If you get that bastard Romney into office, I swear to God that I'm going to start another war with you."**_

"Hey, he wasn't that horrible-"

"_**He insulted me and thought that I was incompetent to run the Olympic Games! THAT'S INSULTING ENOUGH!"**_

"…I'll see what I can do."

"_**Good. At least Obama knows how to treat a nation."**_

"Whatever you say, old man."

"_**I AM NOT A-"**_

***click***

"Seriously, why do people love him anyway? He's good to me, yeah, but he's my boss. Did he even do anything internationally that wasn't Arabic?"

_***RING***_

"Oh now what…" He picked up. "Hey."

"_**I'm sorry, am I calling you at a bad time?"**_

"Nah, just doing some paper work."

"_**Video games?"**_

"No, serious paper work! I swear, I'm doing work!"

"_**Whatever you say."**_

"What do you want now, Espen?"

"_**Dude, I'm just saying this in the nicest way possible…but can you keep Obama as your boss?"**_

***facepalm***

"_**I swear, the last four years he was in office, I actually started thinking you had brain cells in your head. It was weird, with the last couple of years, but I swear, I thought you were actually getting smarter! Besides-"**_

"**WHY ARE PEOPLE ASKING ME ABOUT SOMETHING I CAN'T REALLY DO ON MY OWN!?'**

…

…

…

…

…

…

**[About an hour of this exact same thing happens…]**

…

…

…

…

…

…

"_I swear to God, one more call and I'm going to get a freaking aneurism…"_

***ring***

"_**WHAT? WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH MY MISERABLE LIFE!? I'M GOING TO SAY THIS RIGHT NOW, I'M ALREADY TRYING MY BEST TO KEEP HIM IN OFFICE, SO **__**STOP CALLING ME**__** AND ASKING ABOUT IT!"**_

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"_**Nice to see that the world is thinking kind of me."**_

"Oh…boss…eheheheheheheheh…s-sorry about that."

"_**I was just calling to see if you got some of the work done, but I'm assuming that you didn't?"**_

"People keep calling, man. Ever since those eight years with Bush, my friends are shocked that I'm actually getting stuff done." He grinned. "That basically means that people overseas like you a lot!"

"_**That just means that I'm doing my job. It'll be a while before you repair all the damage that Bush put on you…and at this rate, I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to be the President when that time comes."**_

"That's fine. You're just trying as hard as you can. One person can't change the world."

"_**Oh really? What about those people in your past? I'm sure that they did a lot on their own."**_

"…you're always correcting me, you know that? Stop trying to be my father."

"_**I can't help it. If I'm going to be your boss, I'm better off being your father."**_

"…don't ever change, you got that?"

"_**I won't."**_

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"Hey, Al."

"Liara? What's up?"

"You got a phone call from Antonio."

"Oh, really? Track him onto my home line. Hold on, boss. Antonio's calling." He picked up. "'ello?"

"_**Oi, Los Estados Unidos! I was just going to ask you about your boss! How's he doing?"**_

"_**GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"**_

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"_**You know what, Alfred? You should probably take the rest of the day off."**_

**/=+=/**

**For those who don't know, Project Orca is basically where computers are counting up all the votes instead of people doing a paper count. However, it's was run by the Romney campaign in order to make sure that every single Romney supporter who can vote went up to vote, so that all of them together could swarm over Obama's voters and some who didn't come to the voting booth. However, it was glitching the entire day and had to be scrapped.**

**OK, question to all the foreigners **_**(this is exclusively toward people that don't live in America. We all know that the minute Americans talk about politics, we're going to get into another online war that I can't afford right now)**_**. This is only stuck on YouTube videos, but every time I go watch an Obama video, I always run into fifteen comments from at least ninety different non-Americans asking America to keep Obama in office. Last time I checked, he didn't do anything in terms of international affairs, and I'm pretty sure Romney didn't suck that much ass. Before you start answering, I'm an Obama supporter through and through. I'm also an American, and I know what's he's been doing to my country. I'm wondering why in the world the top comment on his appearance on Ellen is a German guy asking us to give him over to the European government if we're dumb enough to give him up **_**(which we won't. FOUR MORE YEARS~)**_**.**


	102. A New Leader is Chosen

All Charice knew was that she was in Rome and that she was staring at a chimney.

It had struck Rizal hard when the world heard that Pope Benedict had been retiring from his position as pope _("a first in a while", Lovino kept repeating on the phone)_, as he never thought that something like that would happen. Then again, Rizal was the more Catholic of the two and had wondered about why the church wanted old popes ever since he took up the faith.

"_Maybe this time they'll get someone younger."_ He would mutter in each election. _"Perhaps someone in their fifties?"_

It never happens.

So there they were, shivering on a rainy Vatican lot, with Rizal and the Italian brothers, staring at a chimney hovering above them. The people around them were anxious, fidgeting and talking to each other in order to pass the time. News reporters were tweeting what they were seeing on their smart phones or talking on their cameras to the people watching on their televisions. Whatever the case may be, everyone wanted to see history being made. It's not every day that someone gets to see a pope being chosen.

"So, Lovino." Rizal turned his head. "Any predictions on who you're seeing as the pope?"

"It's going to be a European as usual." He grinned. "It's always a European."

"Probably not…" Feliciano looked back up on the chimney. "You know that more Catholics are appearing in the Americas…"

"Or perhaps an Asian pope?"

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"Ahahahaha…you're funny, Charice."

"_I wasn't joking…"_

"Then again, this is the first time in a while that the pope retired, so I won't be surprised if they elect someone new this time." Feliciano looked at his brother.

"All I'm asking is that he be at least 60. What the heck is up with old people being popes, anyway? It's not like it's a presidential election where they have to stop after a few years."

"Charice, that makes no sense."

"Neither does electing an 80 year old to tell a billion worshiping Christians what to do."

"You know, Charice…I always figured you to be a hardcore Catholic that doesn't question this." Lovino stared at her.

"I'm Catholic…just not hardcore. I just don't like organized religion…too complicated."

"That's a new one."

Charice sighed, looking up at the smokestack just as black smoke started to pour from the chimney. The people around them started to cheer, knowing that they can now try and explore Vatican City, knowing that they aren't going to be missed. The crowd dispersed for the day, and she couldn't help but wonder what will end up happening afterward. She already saw everything that was in this city.

**/=+=/**

"Kuya, remind me again how long these conclave things last?"

"They usually last about two weeks. They might last three days due to Holy Week being close." Rizal fixed his jacket collar. "Whatever the case may be, it won't be too long."

"All right." Charice shrugged.

The two of them headed to the cathedral, looking at just how long the line it was to get into the area. It had been a while since she had seen so many cameras and news anchors standing around in the same place at the same time. It almost felt like it was a sporting event with all the attention. Then again, some traditions die hard, don't they?

"I don't see the Vargas brothers." Rizal turned his head. "Do you think they're late?"

"No, I think they're here. I think they're just so further in that we can't see them. This is their territory, kinda, so there's no way that they're going to miss this."

"So you want to try looking for them?"

"I'll hear them once the smoke turns white."

"But there's no way that's going to happen now. It's only been one day."

"Yeah, I guess that's true…huh."

"What's wrong, Charice?"

"Well, start looking for them now."

Rizal turned his head in confusion and noticed that white smoke had started leaking from the chimney. Instantly, the people started screaming and cheering in happiness, chants of "new pope" started to fill the street. He was expecting a rush to get a pope elected for the Holy Week, but he wasn't expecting such a quick time _(less than two days? Seriously?)_ for them to find the leader of the Catholic church. He looked up, wondering what European they had chosen this time. His money was betting on a French guy this time.

"That's a guy up there."

"Not the pope, Charice."

"I know, but he has a message."

"He's announcing the pope's name, Charice."

"Well, what is he saying? I can't hear him through the crowd!"

"_I announce to you a great joy: we have a new Pope."_ Rizal dictated. _"Most imminent and most relevant Lord…Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church."_

"Yeah, they didn't have to say that. Unless the guy is Jewish, they don't have to say that."

"It's tradition, Charice." Rizal looked up. _"Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who takes the name Francis_…holy crap, Charice. This is the beginning of a new era."

"…huh…"

"I looked up all the cardinals beforehand…he's a Jesuit from Argentina…" Rizal grinned. "That's the craziest combination that I had ever seen. I can't believe that they decided that they're going to have a foreign pope for once. I think we're going to see Catholicism change for the better-"

"_**HAH."**_

"…ate, what was-?"

"He chose the name _**Francis.**_ Holy crap, and here I thought I was going to lose the ability to nag on Romano about his popes! Ahahahahahahahahaha!"

"Charice, what are you-"

"_**Are you kidding me?"**_

"_**HAAAAH!"**_

"…don't tell me that's-"

"I found Lovino!"

"_Oh dear Lord, help me."_

**/=+=/**

**And that, my friend, is how I feel about the new pope in a nutshell. Part of me is very glad that they decided to try something new with the pope. I mean, an Argentinean as a pope? That's just awesome. Especially since Europeans are starting to be outnumbered by the Americans in terms of Catholics. In fact, Europe is actually more liberal on some Bible laws than Americans 0.0**

**Then again, the other half started breaking out into laughter the minute I learned that his name was going to be "Francis". Ha ha…**_**Francis.**_


	103. Sherlocked

**Personally, I'm not a big fan of the show or the book or the guy, but my sister is, and one day we ran into something that I thought should not be ignored at all. It's on YouTube, if you're wanting of a hint of what I'm going to be talking about. God, I'm so out of it…**

**/=+=/**

"Hey, Arthur. What're you reading over there?"

"A Study in Scarlet."

"…English literature, I'm assuming."

"What else do you think I would be reading, Rizal?"

"…" He scratched his nose. "…German."

"German literature? Hah! I must prefer my own literature achievements."

"I noticed." Rizal looked at the cover. "Sherlock Holmes?"

"One of my favorites." He grinned. "The man that millions talk of for eons, both back then and for generations to come. They have museums for this man! They have discussions! They have book clubs! _**Movies! TV shows! THE MAN IS A GENIUS FOR WHICH MERE MORTALS CAN NEVER MATCH!"**_

"…so that would mean that people like us could be better?"

"_Why must you be so cruel to him?"_

"Don't get me wrong, the books are good enough to have their following-"

"Why, a following? That's what you call me and the millions of fans around the world?"

"…would you rather I call you a cult?"

"Bah! How dare you disrespect the men and women that worship this book as the highest tip in literature!"

…_cult…_ "Arthur Conan Doyle…well, that explains the human name that you chose if you like the book so much."

"The name of the two most important men in English history! Why wouldn't the embodiment of one of the greatest kingdoms in history not adopt the two names?"

"Um…so I'm guessing _'William' _was too obvious a choice?"

"Hah! Arthur, dude, you reading those books again? Don't you try reading some of my literature?"

"_**Why the hell would I read the crap that your writers put on this planet?"**_

"Hey, first of all, I didn't say you have to read _her_ books, and secondly, we are all now underneath the belief that she was Canadian!"

"That she was what?"

"_**Exactly!"**_

"_Um…Alfred…? We never agreed on tha-"_

"_**HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY **_that's just great! And besides, I think I can make Sherlock a hell lot more epic than whatever your guys can do!"

"Seriously? Is that what you're going to be telling me? He's my territory, after all!"

"Exactly! I'm going to be making it awesome!"

"Says who, Alfred?"

"Says the world. Wait for me in a few years, and then let's figure out whose winning after that~"

**/= [And then the Robert Downey Jr. Movie comes out] =/**

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"Huh."

"Charice?"

"That was an interesting film…lots of gears and machines and stuff."

Rizal turned his head at the people that were around them. They had to go and get a midnight screening, so there were almost hundreds of people gushing about the movie that they had just seen. About two of them were writing in notepads, almost as if they were movie critics. Apparently Alfred went through with the notion of making a movie about Sherlock. And apparently, that wasn't bad.

"So any thoughts about the film, Rizal?"

"…eh. Kinda meh. Unless the Sherlock novels were about steampunk machines that spread around poison."

"I didn't think Sherlock knew martial arts."

"I…don't think he did. Never read the novels." Rizal looked up. "The characters weren't that bad."

"They're believable." Charice nodded. "…shipping fodder is there, though."

"Is that what you call it now…?"

"Yeah. I mean, Sherlock and John? They're, like, the original homosexual couple."

"But…John is engaged…to a woman…"

"That's how it all starts~"

**/=+=/**

"So, Arthur…what do you think about the movie?"

"Alfred…why were there so many machines in it?"

"Hey, I read some of those books, and they were just boring! It needed more ACTION, more ENTERTAINMENT! So I decided to do that as well~"

"The movie was completely horrible! I can't believe you would do that to such a great man!"

"And yet you hesitated when you said that second sentence. Care to explain that?"

"…hm…no."

"What, you hiccupped or something?"

"Yeah, totally!"

"Soooo…you have to admit. I did really well on the Sherlock theme, didn't I?"

"…no, you did not. I can do it a hundred times better than that wasted effort. And I'll do all the stories as well!"

"Please! You don't even have a budget as close as Hollywood does! What makes you think you can do better?"

"Oh, just watch me."

**/= [Then the series **_**Sherlock**_** comes out on BBC] =/**

"…huh…"

"Yeah, would you look at that? That is how you do a Sherlock series!"

"But…it's still _**boring."**_

"It's supposed to be a mind-thinking show, not an action flick like the rest of your bloody shows!"

"But…there was only one explosion…there was just talking…"

"Woooooow, that looks so cool, da ze! I want to show it on my TV stations, if that's all right!"

"Of course, of course~" He grinned at Alfred. "See? There is a lot more people out there who want to show this off than the show that you and your horrid movie!"

"People like shows over movies, and besides, I'm going to make a Sherlock TV show as well!"

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yeah, and I'm going to go ahead and fix all of the mistakes that you and your writers did! First of all, I'm going to finally put Sherlock and Watson in that damn relationship you've been teasing about!"

"Wait, _**what?"**_

"Yeah, those two are finally going to be dating! Really, you have to just let the fans have what they want! Then again, the two guys being together is totally icky so we had to change Watson a bit-"

"You made Watson a _**chick?"**_

"Hey, it's the only thing that makes episodes sell!"

"Why the bloody hell would you do that to such a timeless character?"

"Heeeey, I finished the trailer, da ze!"

"Good, finally some good news for the Sherlock series- _**god dammit, what is with this romantic music?!"**_

**/=+=/**

**It shouldn't be a coincidence that all of this started when that Robert Downey Jr. movie came out. His portrayal as the detective had been hailed as the best actor for Sherlock at that time, with his chemistry with John making them the best duo at the time. Suddenly, BBC comes out of nowhere and says that they're doing their own take of the book with the series **_**Sherlock**_**, which is basically an hour and a half movie per episode. It became so awesome that when Series 2 **_**(Season 2 in American terms)**_** came out, ABC decided to make their own Sherlock series known as **_**Elementary**_**, where Lucy Lu was Watson. The only reason that I could think for that is to finally get some Sherlock-Watson sexual tension released. It's kind of like reading a Germany – Fem!Italy fic, same concept, which is why I hadn't flipped over a table.**

**On other news, go onto YouTube and search up the Korean commercials for the Sherlock series. Each one has romantic music attached to it. The one I really like is the one with Luther Vandross's song. I really like his music, what do you want me to say?**


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